Three orthopedic leaders shared their biggest concerns in the industry over the next decade with Becker's:
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
John Brady. CEO of Fox Valley (Ill.) Orthopedics: My biggest concern is the inflationary pressures we are faced with across all aspects of operations. This impacts staff retention, patient access and overall operational efficiency. As we move into more pay for value, it will be critical to maintain high-quality staff who can help us deliver the best care possible. This comes at a cost, and it’s an investment we are willing to make but payers are going to have to recognize the changing economics and reimburse accordingly.
Santiago Muñoz. Chief Strategy Officer of UC Los Angeles Health: Financial performance of the community ambulatory surgery centers in lieu of hospital based procedures.
Robert Carrera. COO of Compass Surgical Partners (Raleigh, N.C): I believe one of the biggest challenges facing orthopedics over the next 10 years is the payer community keeping pace with the rapid changes in the technology used to improve the lives of patients. This rapid technological change will manifest itself in many ways, including the migration of more cases traditionally done in an [inpatient] setting to an ASC, the greater use of robotics and higher-cost equipment and technology such as 3D printing and the use of more sophisticated implant technology, including the mainstreaming of biologic options for care. The challenge for us as an industry will be educating the payers, CMS included, about the benefits of these new trends and technologies, so that they are approved for our setting and reimbursable at a rate that makes them available to our patient population.