As orthopedic margins slim, surgeons and institutions have to exercise more intentionality when choosing what technology to invest in.
Antonia Chen, MD, chair of orthopedics at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, shared how declining reimbursements have impacted orthopedic practices’ ability to add and integrate new technologies.
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Editor’s note: This response has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: How are you thinking about your technology investments heading into the second half of the year? What’s worth the spend, and what isn’t?
Dr. Antonia Chen: As we get less and less reimbursement from our procedures, the ability to incorporate more technology investments in our practices has decreased over time. Technologies that either improve patient care or reduce administrative burden are worth it – improving the lives of patients, surgeons and staff are all important to invest in. Technologies without a proven track record or without data are harder to justify purchasing, and with fewer healthcare dollars to spend, we are scrutinizing our technology investments even more.
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