Dr. Craig R. Mahoney has been named a 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor, marking the 13th year he has received this designation. Only 7 percent of the nation's licensed physicians are selected annually as Castle Connolly Top Doctors for their specialties in their regions. Dr. Mahoney is an orthopaedic surgeon with Iowa Ortho, a practice recognized for advancing joint replacement care and improving patient outcomes through clinical excellence and healthcare innovation. He currently serves as the Physician Leader and Vice President of the Orthopaedic Service Line at MercyOne and is a partner at the Iowa Orthopaedic Center.
"I am honored to be recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor," said Dr. Mahoney. "With over 23 years of dedicated practice and more than 8,000 successful hip and knee replacements, my philosophy focuses on exhaustive nonsurgical options before recommending joint replacement surgery. My goals include improving mobility and decreasing pain but also improving each patient's quality of life through evidence-based techniques that emphasize long-term outcomes." This patient-centered approach reflects broader trends in healthcare where value-based care and sustainable outcomes are increasingly prioritized over procedural volume.
Dr. Mahoney performs several key procedures utilizing advanced surgical techniques, including total hip arthroplasty, total knee arthroplasty, hip and knee revision surgery, computer-navigated joint replacement, impaction grafting, and vascular management in rotationplasty. The integration of technology like computer navigation in joint replacement represents a significant advancement in surgical precision, potentially reducing complications and improving implant longevity. For business and technology leaders, this underscores how technological innovation in medical devices and surgical techniques can drive both clinical improvements and operational efficiencies in healthcare delivery.
Dr. Mahoney earned his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1995. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the Creighton/University of Nebraska Health Foundation in 2001, which included a dedicated one-year orthopaedic research fellowship. He subsequently completed a fellowship in Adult Reconstruction at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York in 2002. His professional accomplishments include authoring more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in publications such as The Journal of Arthroplasty and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. Dr. Mahoney has held significant leadership roles, including President of the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association and the Iowa Orthopaedic Society. He also served on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Board of Councilors for six years.
Top Doctors are nominated by peer physicians and selected by the physician-led Castle Connolly research team. Castle Connolly publishes its Top Doctors list at https://www.castleconnolly.com and in a variety of print and online partner publications. Nominations are open to all board-certified MDs, DOs, and DPMs. The Castle Connolly team chooses honorees based on nominee criteria that includes their medical education, training, hospital appointments, and disciplinary histories. Doctors do not and cannot pay to be selected as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. This peer-review process adds credibility to the recognition, distinguishing it from marketing-driven awards in the healthcare industry.
For leaders in business and technology, Dr. Mahoney's recognition illustrates several important trends. First, it highlights the growing importance of specialization and expertise in high-value medical fields like orthopaedics, where demographic shifts toward an aging population are driving increased demand for joint replacement procedures. Second, his emphasis on evidence-based techniques and long-term outcomes aligns with broader healthcare industry movements toward value-based care models that reward quality over quantity. Third, his use of advanced surgical technologies like computer navigation demonstrates how innovation is transforming traditional medical procedures, creating opportunities for technology companies in the medical device and healthcare IT sectors. Finally, his leadership roles in professional organizations show how clinical expertise often translates into broader industry influence, affecting standards, education, and policy in ways that can impact healthcare delivery systems nationwide.
