Sharp’s orthopedics systemwide services include sports injuries, joint replacement, spine, trauma, Mako robotic hip and knee surgery, and research/registry work across more than 50,000 orthopedic surgeries in San Diego.
Sharp HealthCare is San Diego’s most extensive integrated, nonprofit health system, with four acute-care hospitals, several specialty hospitals, three medical groups, and Sharp Health Plan, providing comprehensive services including orthopedics and sports medicine across the region. Sharp Sports Medicine is delivered through the system’s orthopedic surgeons and a dedicated Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy service line, which offers non-operative sports care and rehab at multiple outpatient sites and supports elite athletes through Sharp’s partnership with San Diego FC and other teams.
Synergy Orthopedic Specialists is an independent, physician-owned orthopedic medical group that collaborates with, but is not owned by, Sharp HealthCare.
Several Synergy physicians are Sharp-affiliated orthopedic surgeons who provide clinic care in Synergy locations and perform surgeries and inpatient care at Sharp hospitals, giving patients coordinated access to both outpatient and hospital-based services. Our physicians also serve as providers within Sharp Community Medical Group, allowing patients in that network to receive specialized orthopedic care from Synergy while maintaining continuity with their primary care and Sharp-contracted specialists.
Synergy Orthopedic Specialists is San Diego’s largest private orthopedic practice, offering a vertically integrated model that includes clinic care, imaging, physical and occupational therapy, and ambulatory surgery centers.
As an independent group, Synergy’s physicians maintain control over clinical decision-making, practice culture, and care pathways, enabling truly patient-centered treatment plans while partnering with multiple hospital systems and health plans.
Many Synergy surgeons hold medical staff privileges and are listed as affiliated providers within the Sharp HealthCare network, including Sharp Memorial, Sharp Grossmont, Sharp Coronado, and Sharp Chula Vista.
For example, Thomas Hong, MD, a Synergy orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee arthroplasty, sees patients at Synergy’s Kearny Mesa clinic and also evaluates orthopedic patients weekly at The Clinic at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, where he provides specialized joint reconstruction care in collaboration with Sharp’s clinical and administrative teams. Synergy orthopedic surgeons Michael Muldoon, MD, and Andromahi (“Mahi”) Trivellas, MD, are Sharp-affiliated providers who support Sharp’s hospital-based hip preservation and reconstructive programs, working alongside Sharp teams to offer advanced hip-joint preservation, arthroscopy, and reconstruction services for patients with complex hip conditions. In addition, Synergy sports medicine specialists Tal David, MD, Jonathan Myer, MD, and David Burnikel, MD, collaborate with Sharp HealthCare in leading orthopedic and sports medicine efforts for the San Diego Football Club, providing high-level sideline coverage, injury evaluation, surgical care, and return-to-play planning for professional soccer athletes.
Because Synergy is independent, patients are not limited to a single hospital system. They can often choose among multiple facilities where their surgeon practices, including Sharp hospitals, based on medical needs and insurance coverage. For patients whose care is organized through Sharp Community Medical Group, working with a Sharp-affiliated Synergy surgeon offers the convenience of in-network coordination with their primary care physician, access to Sharp hospitals, and the advanced orthopedic services available across Synergy’s clinics, imaging centers, therapy locations, and surgical facilities.
