Douglas E. Padgett, MD, the president of The Hip Society, and Robert L. Barrack, MD, the president of The Knee Society, recently spoke with Becker’s Spine Review about acquiring the Current Concepts in Joint Replacement course.
Created by Dr. A. Seth Greenwald and presented by the Current Concepts Institute, the CCJR course takes place each May and December. The two live events attract more than 3,000 delegates from more than 60 countries.
Note: Drs. Padgett and Barrack responded together. Answers have been lightly edited for content and style.
Question: Why did The Hip Society and The Knee Society acquire Current Concepts in Joint Replacement?
Answer: The top priority in the mission statements of both societies is education. Therefore, the goals of CCJR and those of the societies are closely aligned — and that is to lead in arthroplasty education. Members of the societies have served as CCJR faculty since the inception of the course. They have collaborated closely with Dr. Greenwald in planning and evolving the program to the success that it is today. The acquisition is a natural fit, as the societies have the talent pool, the energy, strong appreciation of the brand CCJR created and now a vested interest [in continuing] its legacy of being the preeminent educational venue for the adult reconstruction community in the U.S. and internationally.
Q: What trends do you see in arthroplasty education and research?
A: Our strategy is to design a learning experience around the contemporary adult learner so that it is stimulating and relevant to today’s practicing physicians and orthopedic team members as well as reflective of current healthcare demands and patient expectations. We hope that our participants leave CCJR equipped with the state-of-the-art information on today’s hot topics and trends that is immediately applicable to their practice and sets them on a course to improve patient care outcomes. We plan to do a thorough scan of the various platforms that may have been underutilized in delivering CCJR’s message, including deploying technology and partnering with allied professional organizations to widen CCJR’s reach.
The current trend is focused on the process: patient optimization, pain management focused on opioid reduction, rapid recovery with emphasis on discharge to home and telehealth as a means of monitoring patients throughout the episode of care.
Q: How will CCJR change going forward?
A: Our goal is to preserve the unique legacy of CCJR while maintaining its competitive edge well into the future. Any changes we introduce will be deliberate and strategic. We recognize the challenge of competing with online educational resources and social media as well as keeping up with how surgeons learn, especially young surgeons. The bar is set high to demonstrate value, and we will do that by engaging with thought leaders during sessions on problem cases, symposia of current interest, live surgery and interactive surgical demonstrations of new and emerging technologies.
We have much to learn from Dr. Greenwald and his staff, and we are looking forward to contributing our energy, expertise and vision to this exciting collaborative effort.