Launching new programs, practice growth and navigating post-COVID challenges are among some of the top priorities for orthopedic surgeons and industry leaders this year.
Five industry professionals recently shared with Becker's what they are most focused on for the rest of 2023.
Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Kim Mikes, BSN, RN. CEO of Hoag Orthopedic Institute (Irvine, Calif.): For the second half of 2023, Hoag Orthopedic Institute’s focus will be primarily on two fronts — namely the opening of our sixth ASC and the launch of our “Back to You” non-surgical spine program. Our sixth ASC is slated to open later this summer in Aliso Viejo, located in the southern county part of Orange County, Calif., improving access to high-quality musculoskeletal care in an area that doesn’t have a lot of hospitals or ASC facilities. Our business model continues to embrace ASC growth for outpatient orthopedic and spine surgery. Over the last three years, the growth in our outpatient orthopedic and spine surgery procedures has increased more than we even anticipated. ASCs provide an important role in our geographic expansion into strategic areas.
Our “Back to You” non-surgical spine program took us over a year to develop. Our doctors expressed a sincere desire to leverage our market leader position in the county in spine surgery to provide a physician-directed back pain and spine treatment program based on physical therapy, education and nutrition, and that is not surgical. Most patients’ back pain does not require surgery. We recruited a very experienced spine surgeon, Dr. Mark Hambly, recently retired from his surgical practice, to lead the effort. We also engaged two large multi-location physical therapy practices to be the exclusive providers of the “Back to You” program to our patients and the community. We have assembled an entire team of non-surgical experts to contribute to this important endeavor.
Emeka Nwodim, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at the Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics (Bethesda, Md.): For the second half of 2023, I am focused on continuing to grow both my individual and group practice as well as optimize the efficiency in which I provide care to patients. I also hope to further prioritize my work-life balance.
Anupam Pradhan, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at Southwest Joint Replacement & Sports Medicine Center (Dallas): We find ourselves navigating a dynamic dichotomy in our focus for the second half of the year. On one hand, we diligently attend to the day-to-day minutia, ensuring smooth operations, retaining exceptional staff and making strategic hires to foster growth. Simultaneously, we remain steadfast in our commitment to staying at the forefront of medical advancements. By exploring and incorporating emerging technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence, we strive to actualize our long-term vision of revolutionizing patient care and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in our practice.
Alex Vaccaro, MD, PhD. President at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute (Philadelphia): As an organization, we continue to navigate the challenges of a post-COVID labor market, which includes inflationary pressures, staffing shortages and increased cost of working capital. Fortunately, Rothman as an organization has experienced a positive trend of strong year-over-year volume growth including new patient visits and surgical volume. Internally, clinical staff and X-ray tech positions are in high demand. The anesthesia labor market is disrupting the ability to provide services in all facilities, including specialty care hospitals and ASCs as nurse anesthetists have discovered premium wage hikes in smaller boutique venues such as stem cell, GI and gynecologic clinics. Patient demand for orthopedic care at this time is high but services are challenged as a result of these staffing disruptions. The specter of additional Medicare reimbursement cuts is deflating for physician morale, [and physicians] continue to face increased regulatory expectations for how care is delivered. The path forward includes partnerships with other allied groups that provide the needed services an orthopedic provider traditionally had no direct access to. This includes nonoperative specialists, nurse anesthetists and partners with access to competitive wage staffing solutions.
Jonathan Vigdorchik, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City): For the second half of 2023, we are most focused on our increased clinical volumes. Demand for joint replacements continues to be high, so providing the best possible clinical care in this higher-demand environment is a clear focus. From a healthcare industry perspective, we are focused on the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in orthopedics in order to standardize workflows, automate care and improve the quality of care. We have tremendous amounts of data available to train AI models that will help surgeons around the world.