06/27/2025
Frontline Friday provides Sean Hogan, Mercy South St. Louis Communities president, the chance to visit with various departments, see how they operate, learn in more detail how they support our hospital team while caring for our community and get to know our frontline caregivers.
Sean checked in with the Mercy South orthopedics and sports medicine team, which includes Mercy Clinic Orthopedics – Southfork, Mercy Clinic Sports Medicine – Southfork and Mercy Orthopedics Walk-in Care – Southfork, all located in suite 100 of the Southfork building across the street from Mercy Hospital South.
He sat down at the front desk with Kyra Herbig, medical assistant, where they greeted and helped every patient who came in the clinic. Kyra showed Sean what it takes to welcome, check in and assist about 200 patients every day. Kyra handles all callbacks and inquiries in addition to patients who arrive at the clinic. Those patients include people with new injuries who are taking advantage of the walk-in clinic service to seek care without an appointment and without having to visit the emergency department.
Sean saw how Kyra creates the warm, welcoming environment from the moment someone arrives, and how she handles her role with tremendous attention to detail. He also met with lead medical assistant Andrea Noltkamper who he described as the grease that keeps the well-oiled machine running smoothly. Andrea serves as a go-to resource for the entire team. She is handling five to 10 tasks at any given moment, from keeping patient care moving, handling follow up requests, implementing doctors’ orders and serving as a source of truth.
Athletic trainer Cayce Sloan spoke with Sean and showed him how her expertise serves our sports medicine patients and compliments the care provided by our orthopedic and sports medicine physicians and advanced practice providers. She is able to make care more efficient for our patients. For example, her initial assessment of a patient allows her to anticipate the physician’s needs. In one case, Sean saw Cayce request an updated imaging study. By taking care of the imaging before the patient saw the doctor, Cayce saved the patient time and possibly avoided the need for a follow-up appointment.
Hannah Roarty, radiological tech, showed Sean all the imaging services available right there within the orthopedics clinic. He watched Hannah work kindly and diligently with a patient who was in great pain from a wrist injury. Hannah knew the precise images the doctor would need to accurately diagnose and best treat the injury, but the patient told Hannah they wouldn’t be able to move in the way needed to get the precise images of the tiny bones in the wrist. Hannah provided an impressive level of care by working patiently and with empathy until the patient was able to adjust for the best x-ray for them.
Providing imaging equipment specific to the needs of the orthopedic team in the same location as orthopedic care is extremely convenient for patients and speeds up the process of diagnosing their injuries and implementing the appropriate care. This in-clinic imaging is also just down the hall from the newly renovated Mercy Therapy Services – Southfork Suite 105 providing easy access and convenience for patients undergoing therapy. Sean saw how the guidance of the orthopedic team helped create a design and layout that greatly improves the experience for patients.
