Jason Weisstein, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Colorado Center of Orthopaedic Excellence in Colorado Springs and medical director of orthopedics at Modernizing Medicine discusses the biggest challenges and opportunities in orthopedics today.
Question: What are the top two to three challenges you're facing heading into 2019?
Dr. Jason Weisstein: The top challenges I'm facing include adapting my practice flow to increasingly burdensome government and insurance regulations; keeping up with new technology in the orthopedic implant space; and getting out of work early enough to be with my family.
Q: What technology are you most excited about in the future?
JW: Interoperability. In today's world it's a necessity for systems to communicate with one another. I know vendors and other membership organizations are working diligently on this, and I also know it's not as easy to enable this as we'd like to think.
Q: What is your best opportunity for growth?
JW: Each year more and more is expected of orthopedic surgeons. Not only do we have to be exemplary doctors, but [also] administrators, coding experts and family members. It can sometimes feel overwhelming and difficult to manage, but I think the best opportunity for growth is to invest in the right technology to make our lives easier.
As a practicing orthopedic surgeon who also happens to work for an EHR vendor, I understand firsthand that EHR companies really are making a tremendous effort to simplify our lives, to automate the administrative burdens of practicing medicine in today's value-based world. Change can be difficult, but I feel it's worth the investment in the long run to purchase, train yourself and your staff and then actually utilize all the features of an EHR system, practice management system, analytics and other products and services to help improve our clinical, financial and operational outcomes.
To participate in future Becker's Q&As, contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com.
For a deeper dive into the future of orthopedics, attend the Becker's 17th Annual Future of Spine + Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC in Chicago, June 13-5, 2019. Click here to learn more and register.
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