Tampa-based Laser Spine Institute President and CEO Roger Cary joined more than 250 healthcare professionals at the Johnson & Johnson-presented Lake Nona Impact Forum from Feb. 28 to March 2 in Orlando, Fla.
"The meta message was understanding how we're in an ecosystem that surrounds patients, and if we work together and use data, it allows us to make better decisions to serve patients better," Mr. Cary says.
Mr. Cary spoke with Becker's Spine Review to share key takeaways from the forum, best practices for growing healthcare organizations and what lies ahead for Laser Spine.
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity.
Question: Expand on enlightening topics from the Lake Nona Impact Forum. Will these impact Laser Spine Institute's initiatives going forward?
Roger Cary: We saw the importance of predictive analytics. We care about what patients want, what our patients need as daily living skills, and that patients are relying on more than one healthcare provider to get services they need. The data will be able to add on to the services we currently have.
One takeaway is how do we expand our services to patients' needs after surgery? People think of us as surgery only, but we get tens of thousands of patients that may not be surgical candidates but have serious back problems. We put them in more conservative care. People need help after surgery. I got really inspired coming back and I now look at spine care as not just conservative care and not just surgery, but what are we doing with all those patients post-care to make sure the daily living skills they have get them back into the workforce as quickly as possible.
Q: What have you seen as best practices for growing and developing a healthcare organization?
RC:
1. The best practice is an organization that truly spends time on what the patient values and what is important to them.
2. I truly believe in patient empowerment. A lot of surveys will tell you that patients don't feel empowered. [At Laser Spine Institute] we spend quality time with patients to help them understand what their options are. We give them all the information and then we give them our recommendation, but we allow them to have enough knowledge to make the right decision.
3. We always will have the hot white light on what's new. I have empowered our research people, and our first agenda item is what is new and incredible for us to serve patients better. We're constantly reinventing ourselves.
Q: What are some of the greatest challenges for healthcare organizations specializing in spine right now?
RC: So many organizations are forgetting that they're only part of the process. Patients are looking for solutions for their pain, not just surgery. Surgery is important, but quite frankly, when a patient comes to us, they want to make sure we are their solution for their spine care. Figure out how to partner with people if you don't have the resources within your own walls.
Q: What are key focus points for Laser Spine Institute for the rest of 2018?
RC: We will continue to build out our Total Spine Care network, hoping for 100 affiliates across the U.S. by year's end. Those affiliates will all be certified by Laser Spine Institute, and they will bring their whole office to one of our centers and go through a weekend of training.
We also know approximately 15 to 20 percent of people need inpatient surgery. Today, we don't have that inpatient capacity. So, we are talking to several major teaching hospitals and medical schools about affiliations and how we can collaborate with them.