Rolando Garcia, MD, of Aventura-based Orthopedic Care Center, discusses continued professional growth in the field of spine care.
Dr. Garcia is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a member of the North American Spine Society.
Question: What are some barriers standing in the way of spine surgeons learning new techniques and technologies?
RG: I would say that a major barrier is the lack of coverage by insurance companies of new technologies, such as lumbar disc arthroplasty, which results in a surgeon's lack of impetus to learn and apply such technologies.
Q: What are some best practices for spine surgeons looking to continue growing professionally?
RG: In my opinion, the best practices for future growth are larger single-specialty groups that may be able to have a more influential voice than a solo practitioner.
Q: Would you recommend being active in professional societies? Why?
RG: Membership and active participation in professional societies are essential not only from an educational standpoint, but it also allows surgeons to have a voice within his/her specialty, and a voice as a specialty within organized medicine.
Learn more from Dr. Garcia at the 15th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference + The Future of Spine in June 2017! Click here for more information.