Holding American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery certification and a 1971 medical degree from Lutheran Medical Center, Frederick W. Close, MD has operated his private orthopedic practice at 3200 Fourth Ave, Suite 100 in Hillcrest since 2000. His procedure roster covers shoulder arthroscopy, rotator cuff repair, total knee replacement, and fracture fixation, with operative cases scheduled through facilities such as Pacific Coast Surgical Group when outpatient ambulatory surgical suites are the better venue. Dr. Close has served as a consulting orthopedic surgeon for Mexican Medical Mission Hospitals and as Vice Chairman of an orthopedic surgery department, and he maintains a satellite office at 5565 Grossmont Center Drive in La Mesa to serve East County referrals alongside the Hillcrest practice. After polytrauma or post-surgical complications requiring extended ventilator weaning or wound management, cases are transferred to long-term acute care facilities such as Select Specialty Hospital - San Diego, which operates within the Scripps Mercy campus footprint. The most demanding caseload involves revision shoulder arthroplasty and geriatric hip fracture fixation in patients with layered cardiac and endocrine comorbidities, where preoperative clearance and postoperative rehab planning drive the timeline more than the operative technique itself.