Orthopedics and ASCs are likely set to see more consolidation as big players in the industry look to form larger groups, according to one orthopedic surgeon.
Creating and building an organization that deals with the surgical volume and patient base, and is also able to manage the nonoperative and administrative side of things, is also important.
Christopher Nanson, MD, an orthopedic surgeon of Oregon Surgical Institute, recently joined the Becker’s Spine and Orthopedic Podcast to talk about where consolidation is heading in the orthopedic space within the next few years.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: How do you see orthopedics, spine and ASCs evolving in the next two years?
Dr. Christopher Nanson: I think we’re going to see in smaller markets like ours, that increased trend of consolidation and formation of bigger groups. In certain places you’re going to see larger organizations moving in. For example, we’re seeing Rothman Institute expanding its footprint into Seattle. There are a lot of groups trying to engage more in population level management of orthopedic issues. I think payers are interested primarily in managing everything musculoskeletal, rather than just trying to manage the one small piece of musculoskeletal surgery. Being able to create an organization that’s responsive and has a good technology base and good partnerships so that you can manage not only the surgical piece through your ASC, which I think is vital, but also the nonoperative piece through your office, and managing that with your ancillary providers is crucial.
You’ve really got to build a robust organization, not only with orthopedic surgeons, but with other providers that can help manage the patient burden, as well as the technology to keep things consistent and maintain high quality outcomes. You also have to ensure that you’ve got a robust ASC program so that you can get these surgeries done, because we’re seeing the stress on the hospital systems nationwide, particularly in our area, to handle the volume of patient care they have.
