As the healthcare industry enters into a new year, there are several significant changes that will take effect and change the traditional delivery of patient care. Although many of those changes are directly tied to the new healthcare reform law, there are other forces affecting healthcare outside the realm of reform. Craig Westin, MD, of Illinois Bone and Joint Institute and the Chicago Center for Orthopedics at Weiss Hospital in Chicago, shares four ways sports medicine physicians can acclimate to changes and stay ahead in 2011.
1. Stay up-to-date on trends and issues. Among some of the hottest topics of debate are concussions and biologically active compounds, some of which are thought to be contained in treatments like platelet rich plasma injections. Dr. Westin says sports medicine physicians will want to keep a close watch on these and other heavily debated topics and new studies in order to stay ahead in the new year.
"These are important scientific issues that all sports medicine physicians will want to stay on top of," Dr. Westin says. "We want to stay tuned in to topics on concussion evaluation as well as prevention. PRP was a hot topic in 2009 and 2010, but clinical results were mixed. We can expect more data to come out in 2011 in terms of what the active compounds are [in PRP]."
Dr. Westin says continuing education on research topics and other hotly debated issues can be achieved through involvement in a number of professional societies. Sports medicine physicians should consider involving themselves in the American College for Sports Medicine or the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. Such professional societies regularly host conferences and seminars catered specifically toward sports medicine issues.
2. Work with employers on employee health. Dr. Westin says due to the current economy, employers are working harder to control the costs of healthcare benefits and work-related injuries for their employees. Sports medicine physicians can be proactive and work with companies to discuss ways to reduce workplace expenses. Sports medicine physicians can also work directly with employers to help employees maintain their health as well as assess the "industrial athlete" if they are injured at work.
"The healthcare industry is going to start seeing a shift where even though sports medicine physicians traditionally treated mainly athletes, they may also start treating work-related injuries," Dr. Westin says. "The same individuals who play soccer may have identical injuries and evaluations as those individuals who work at AT&T. We have to work with employers, physical therapists and [other clinicians] to coordinate care around employees."
3. Consider the baby boomer population. The baby boomer generation is one patient group sports medicine physicians should reach out to, says Dr. Westin. The baby boomers are trending toward adopting a more active lifestyle, and Dr. Westin says reaching out to them to help with their strength training and functional fitness is another area of great opportunity in 2011.
"Sports medicine physicians will want to help build programs for [the baby boomer generation] so they are strong enough to sustain an active lifestyle," he says. "Physicians can do this by getting involved with hospitals and community organizations to get the word out about [functional fitness or strength training] programs. They can give lectures about exercise as well."
4. Keep your practice lean. Lean methodology is not a new concept, but sports medicine physicians should continuously work toward making their respective practices as efficient as possible. Especially with the influx of newly covered patients — a result of the new healthcare reform law — sports medicine physicians will want to be mindful of how to cater to a greater patient population without necessary hiring a larger space or spending more money on staffing or other overhead costs.
"Staff members in [a sports medicine office] can help the physician gather clinical information for the physician's review so that it's not up to the physician to do all of those duties anymore," Dr. Westin says. "Electronic medical records offer a great opportunity if we can partner with the technical side to get a record that is effective and efficient for clinical practice.
With the emergence of physician assistants and nurse practitioners, sports medicine physicians may find an opportunity to make their practices even more efficient by hiring a midlevel practitioner who can assist in some of the technical and clinical responsibilities, Dr. Westin says.
Learn more about Illinois Bone and Joint Institute.
Read other coverage on sports medicine:
- 11 Biggest Sports Medicine Trends for 2011
- 5 Marketing Tips for Sports Medicine Practices
1. Stay up-to-date on trends and issues. Among some of the hottest topics of debate are concussions and biologically active compounds, some of which are thought to be contained in treatments like platelet rich plasma injections. Dr. Westin says sports medicine physicians will want to keep a close watch on these and other heavily debated topics and new studies in order to stay ahead in the new year.
"These are important scientific issues that all sports medicine physicians will want to stay on top of," Dr. Westin says. "We want to stay tuned in to topics on concussion evaluation as well as prevention. PRP was a hot topic in 2009 and 2010, but clinical results were mixed. We can expect more data to come out in 2011 in terms of what the active compounds are [in PRP]."
Dr. Westin says continuing education on research topics and other hotly debated issues can be achieved through involvement in a number of professional societies. Sports medicine physicians should consider involving themselves in the American College for Sports Medicine or the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. Such professional societies regularly host conferences and seminars catered specifically toward sports medicine issues.
2. Work with employers on employee health. Dr. Westin says due to the current economy, employers are working harder to control the costs of healthcare benefits and work-related injuries for their employees. Sports medicine physicians can be proactive and work with companies to discuss ways to reduce workplace expenses. Sports medicine physicians can also work directly with employers to help employees maintain their health as well as assess the "industrial athlete" if they are injured at work.
"The healthcare industry is going to start seeing a shift where even though sports medicine physicians traditionally treated mainly athletes, they may also start treating work-related injuries," Dr. Westin says. "The same individuals who play soccer may have identical injuries and evaluations as those individuals who work at AT&T. We have to work with employers, physical therapists and [other clinicians] to coordinate care around employees."
3. Consider the baby boomer population. The baby boomer generation is one patient group sports medicine physicians should reach out to, says Dr. Westin. The baby boomers are trending toward adopting a more active lifestyle, and Dr. Westin says reaching out to them to help with their strength training and functional fitness is another area of great opportunity in 2011.
"Sports medicine physicians will want to help build programs for [the baby boomer generation] so they are strong enough to sustain an active lifestyle," he says. "Physicians can do this by getting involved with hospitals and community organizations to get the word out about [functional fitness or strength training] programs. They can give lectures about exercise as well."
4. Keep your practice lean. Lean methodology is not a new concept, but sports medicine physicians should continuously work toward making their respective practices as efficient as possible. Especially with the influx of newly covered patients — a result of the new healthcare reform law — sports medicine physicians will want to be mindful of how to cater to a greater patient population without necessary hiring a larger space or spending more money on staffing or other overhead costs.
"Staff members in [a sports medicine office] can help the physician gather clinical information for the physician's review so that it's not up to the physician to do all of those duties anymore," Dr. Westin says. "Electronic medical records offer a great opportunity if we can partner with the technical side to get a record that is effective and efficient for clinical practice.
With the emergence of physician assistants and nurse practitioners, sports medicine physicians may find an opportunity to make their practices even more efficient by hiring a midlevel practitioner who can assist in some of the technical and clinical responsibilities, Dr. Westin says.
Learn more about Illinois Bone and Joint Institute.
Read other coverage on sports medicine:
- 11 Biggest Sports Medicine Trends for 2011
- 5 Marketing Tips for Sports Medicine Practices