Spine surgeons are thinking about how to grow their practice revenues, and looking toward ways to grow patient reach will be crucial.
Three strategies spine surgeons should consider:
1. Geographic expansion
Growing geographic reach can make patient access easier for practices, and the investment doesn't have to be huge.
"Spine practices can increase revenue in the current economic climate by expanding their geographic reach and considering satellite clinics in underserved areas or tapping into new markets regionally or nationally," Scott Raffa, MD, said.
For Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeast Orthopedics Specialists moving out of traditional settings is part of their expansion strategy. The practice is planning a satellite location, two clinical locations and a building dedicated to ancillary services.
2. Service expansion
Along with surgical and clinical care, spine and orthopedic practices can benefit from offering more ancillary services within their offices.
Twin Cities Orthopedics integrated with InMotion Physical Therapy & Fitness in February, and in May, Healthcare Outcome Performance Company partnered with physical therapy company Luna. In both of these partnerships patient access were emphasized as advantages.
"Practices can also enhance income by expanding traditional and innovative physical therapy offerings, such as concussion programs, occupational medicine programs and/or work hardening programs," Philip Schneider, MD, said.
3. Telemedicine
Telemedicine, which took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been a mainstay with benefits for patients and physicians.
A September 2022 study published in the Spine Journal found that telemedicine visits can provide accurate evaluations for pre-op spine patients. The study examined166 patients who made plans for spinal surgery and had new patient telemedicine appointments between April 2020 and April 2021. Researchers concluded that telemedicine appointments serve as adequate evaluations for spinal procedures.
"Offering telemedicine services allows spine practices to reach a broader patient base and provide consultations remotely," Brian Fiani, DO, told Becker's. "This can help reduce overhead costs and increase patient satisfaction, leading to potential revenue growth."