Todd Lansford, MD, is a spine surgeon with South Carolina Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Charleston. He focuses on minimally invasive spine surgery and technology advancement.
Dr. Lansford is a featured speaker at the Becker's 17th Annual Future of Spine + The Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference, June 13-15 in Chicago. Click here to learn more and register. For more information about exhibitor and sponsor opportunities, contact Maura Jodoin at mjodoin@beckershealthcare.com.
Here, Dr. Lansford discusses practice growth and where he sees spine headed in the future.
Question: How do you plan on growing your practice over the next two to three years? What are the best opportunities in your market?
Dr. Todd Lansford: While we are certainly adding surgeons to grow our practice, we feel expanding the services we offer patients can be the most productive. We are excited about finally being allowed to participate in physical therapy. This is both good for the practice but more importantly for our patients. We can ensure the best care possible, maximizing our patients' outcomes. Other ancillaries are similar with benefits to both the practice and the patient. Owning your own imaging center allows faster care delivery to the patients. Surgery centers add the ability to control our operative experiences, improving outcomes. Expanding the level of acuity, especially total joint and spine programs, are most certainly the best opportunities in the market
Q: In what ways are you seeing technology and implants change? What are the smartest developments on the horizon?
TL: The biggest advancements in technological changes are implant material and robotics. Using 3D printing, device manufacturers can now create spacers with improved biocompatible performance. This includes improvements in decreasing subsidence due to better modulus of elasticity matching. It also includes materials that encourage bone growth and even boney incorporation. We are now seeing the ability to combine 3D printing with expandable technology. The use of expandable grafts is even more promising with evidence showing decreased rates of subsidence.
The field of robotics is growing rapidly. This currently increases the safety of screw positioning, but the future is even brighter. Already, we are decreasing the need for interoperative CT and allowing more efficient lateral screw placement. Soon, we will be able to use this technology for graft placement. In the near future, this will guide us in the surgery itself and will allow more efficient decompressions. It may even be used in osteotomies, which will benefit the entire surgery.
Q: What role do you see outpatient surgery centers playing in the orthopedics and spine field in the future?
TL: As I mentioned above, the most exciting area of growth is in outpatient surgery centers. By increasing the acuity of cases, including spine and joint programs, we can offer the benefits of surgery centers to more patients. This allows better outcomes, great for both the surgeons and patients. This is also a boon for the centers, as these procedures offer higher reimbursement. There is no argument that the number of cases will only increase in the future.