Morris Hospital offers comprehensive, individualized and patient-focused neck and back care, including the option of spine surgery, through the Morris Hospital Orthopedics & Sports Medicine practice.
As a fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon, Dr. Mir Ali specializes in conservative, non-surgical and surgical treatment of neck and back disorders. He treats spine disorders ranging from the neck to middle and lower back.
In 2013, Dr. Ali developed The Spine Institute to provide patients with a local center of excellence for spine care to relieve patients of neck and back pain as safely and as soon as possible. Spine problems can be very difficult to understand and hard to treat. There can be many different symptoms present and many possible treatments may be available.
One of the goals of the Spine Institute is to help patients understand their spine condition and exhaust all reasonable non-operative treatment problems prior to considering surgery. Occasionally, surgery may be suggested to help treat a spine problem.
Patients and their families are encouraged to get all their questions answered to their satisfaction so they can make an informed decision based on their understanding of the problem and risks, benefits, and alternatives to surgical intervention.
We provide treatment for common to complex spine conditions such as:
- Neck & Back Pain
- Neck & Back Trauma
- Degenerative Disk Disease
- Disk Herniation
- Lumbar Stenosis
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Spine Deformities
- Compression Fractures
- Kyphosis
- Hydrocephalus
- Cervical Fusion
LOCATIONS:
MORRIS
Address:
Morris Hospital Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
1051 W. U.S. Route 6, Suite 100
Morris, IL 60450
Phone: 815.942.4875
Fax: 815.942.5046
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
OTTAWA
Address:
Morris Hospital Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
1306 Gemini Circle, Suite 2
Ottawa, IL 61350
Phone: 815.433.0850
Fax: 815.433.3655
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
JOLIET
Address:
Morris Hospital Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
1310 Houbolt Road
Joliet, IL 60431
Phone: 815.741.4000
Fax: 815.741.4222
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
MEET THE TEAM:
MIR H. ALI, M.D., PH.D., ORTHOPEDIC SPINE SURGERY
Dr. Mir Ali
is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon who specializes in conservative, non-surgical and surgical treatment of neck and back disorders. His primary focus and expertise is on the treatment of spine disorders, including neck, mid and low back problems.
Dr. Ali completed his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pathology in 2002, and then graduated from medical school with highest honors in 2004. He completed his residency training in orthopedic surgery at the world renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 2009 and fellowship training in spine surgery at Rush University Medical Center in 2010. Dr. Ali joined the Morris Hospital Medical Staff in 2013.
Dr. Ali is known in the medical community for his precise examination skills, attentive ears, and his vigorous belief in patient education. He is also known as a conservative surgeon who believes in surgery as the very last option and only believes in as little surgery as necessary to address the patient’s condition.
Dr. Ali’s philosophy is spending adequate time with each patient, explaining his/her condition in terms he/she can understand, discussing treatment options together in a team-oriented manner and recommending surgery only when all other options have failed.
In his free time, Dr Ali enjoys spending time with his wife and six children, reading and bicycling.
Dr. Ali sees patients at the Morris Hospital Orthopedics & Sports Medicine offices in Morris, Ottawa and Joliet.
Specialty: Fellowship Trained in Spine Surgery & General Orthopedic Surgery
Special Interests: Minimally invasive spine surgery, microscopic surgery, lumbar fusion, cervical fusion, epidural injections and kyphoplasties
LUKAS JAKUBONIS, P.A.-C., CERTIFIED PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
Lukas Jakubonis is a certified physician assistant who teams with Dr. Ali in the care of his patients.
Providing a broad range of medical services, Lukas helps to diagnose and treat patients in clinic and assists Dr. Ali in surgery. Patients may see Lukas in clinic for routine appointments, follow ups, after surgery while they are in the hospital, and post-operative visits.
Lukas completed his master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Ohio Dominican University in 2018 and began working with Dr. Ali shortly after.
In his free time, he enjoys basketball, snowboarding and horticulture.
Teaming with Dr. Ali, Lukas sees patients in the Morris, Ottawa and Joliet offices.
MELISSA SKOCZEN, N.P., NURSE PRACTITIONER
Melissa Skoczen
is a board certified nurse practitioner specializing in orthopedic spine surgery who teams with Dr. Ali in the care of his patients.
Providing a broad range of medical services, Melissa helps to diagnose and treat patients in clinic and assists Dr. Ali in surgery. Patients may see Melissa in clinic for routine appointments, follow ups, after surgery while they are in the hospital, and post-operative visits.
Melissa completed her master’s degree in nursing and bachelor’s degree in nursing at Lewis University in Romeoville. She is board certified as a nurse practitioner by the American Nurse Credentialing Center.
Teaming with Dr. Ali, Melissa sees patients in the Morris, Ottawa and Joliet offices.
Frequently Asked Questions:
HOW DO I SCHEDULE/REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT?
To schedule an appointment, please call 815-942-4875 (Morris) or 815-433-0850 (Ottawa) or 815-741-4000 (Joliet).
You can also request an appointment by completing the form below and pressing the “Submit” button. Appointment requests are received on weekdays during business hours. A patient service representative will call you within 24 hours to schedule your appointment. Return calls for work-related or auto-related injuries may take longer due to insurance authorizations that are needed prior to scheduling. Please do not use this form to submit any medical questions.
HOW DO I PREPARE FOR MY APPOINTMENT?
Before your appointment, please go to our Forms Center and download and complete the Healthcare Centers–General Patient Registration Form.
Please arrive 10-15 minutes prior to your appointment time to complete registration and a health questionnaire.
When you come for your appointments, please remember to bring the following:
- Driver’s License or a valid ID
- Insurance information
- Referral Letter (if required)
- Reports, X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, etc. and any other relevant information
- List of medications (if any)
We recognize that your time is valuable, and we make every effort to stay on schedule. Occasionally emergencies or patients require a little more time and may cause delays beyond our control. We apologize if we keep you waiting.
HOW DO I CANCEL AN APPOINTMENT
If you need to cancel an appointment, please call the office during business hours at least 1 day prior to your scheduled appointment so that we can offer your appointment time to patients on our waiting list.
HOW DO I ACCESS MY PATIENT PORTAL?
We are pleased to offer a patient portal that gives you access to your health information. Please follow this link to our Patient Portal page.
WHERE CAN I GET HELP WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT BILLING?
Please visit our Pay My Bill page for information about ways to pay your bill, who to contact for billing questions, and financial assistance.
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW AS A MEDICARE BENEFICIARY?
Your provider is committed to delivering the best possible coordination of your care by participating in an Accountable Care Organization (ACO). A care coordinator may get involved in your care to help improve communication between your healthcare providers. Please visit our Accountable Care Organization (ACO) webpage to learn more
