With more orthopedic practices and groups popping up, the competition to retain patients is forcing providers to stay at the top of their game.
Because individuals have more options than ever, there is less loyalty on the patient side of orthopedics, according to one surgeon.
Joseph Lamplot, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Endeavor Health Orthopaedic & Spine Institute in Skokie, Ill., recently joined the “Becker’s Spine and Orthopedic Podcast” to share how patient behaviors and expectations are changing, as well as the role of ASCs in orthopedic care.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: As outpatient care continues to grow, how do you see the role of orthopedics evolving within the broader healthcare ecosystem?
Dr. Joseph Lamplot: What we’re seeing right now in orthopedics, in terms of the care that we provide, we’re moving most of the procedures that we do to the ASC. As we start bundling care for most procedures forward, we’re going to have to deliver care in a cost effective way. Not only do our ASCs provide care in a more cost effective way, but patient satisfaction is generally higher. So I think the move to the ASC is something that we’re inevitably going to continue seeing.
The second thing in terms of orthopedics, there’s lots of competition, and I think that people are a little bit less loyal to the organizations that they may have been seeing for years. One example would be a patient that has had a primary care in one organization forever, just because they’re provided a referral to see a provider or an orthopedist or any specialist within that organization. They have so many options, and they have so many good options in competitive markets, so we have to maintain quality, maintain satisfaction and get patients in quickly and provide great care for them. In orthopedics, we’re seeing that to a high degree right now.
