As treatment capabilities in the orthopedic space evolve, it is up to surgeons to ensure that patients have access to the most advanced methods available.
These new treatments can sometimes come at a high cost, especially when they are not yet recognized and covered by payers.
Three orthopedic surgeons joined Becker’s to discuss the recent healthcare trends they think are most worthy of attention.
Ask Orthopedic Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to orthopedic surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. Becker’s invites all orthopedic surgeon and specialist responses.
Next question: How do you see value-based care evolving for orthopedic practices in the next five years?
Please send responses to Claire Wallace at cwallace@beckershealthcare.com by 5 p.m. CDT Friday, June 27.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What’s one trend in healthcare that you think needs more attention from orthopedics?
Alan Beyer, MD. Executive Medical Director of Hoag Orthopedic Institute (Irvine, Calif.): Two areas come to mind. First, the area of stem cells, which holds a lot of promise in our field, seems back of mind in orthopedics. Landmark studies and outcomes are slow to emerge in this area. It’s murky waters. There are many medical providers, some not even those with medical degrees, who today are the voices, advocates and marketers for stem cell treatments for joint pain, arthritis and degenerative diseases, and spine care — areas where our expertise is profoundly more insightful and impactful.
Another area we need to address is more “front of line” access to orthopedic care, especially for traumatic and acute orthopedic injuries. Access to urgent orthopedic care can often make the difference to a patient’s long-term functionality. As our ERs become more crowded and overutilized for basic medical care, orthopedic care falls further down the line of care. On top of this scenario is truncated access to orthopedic care due to layers of regulatory and referral approvals by gatekeepers and other middlemen who may deny or delay access to our care. It should not be so hard to see an orthopedic surgeon, patients tell me. They are exasperated by the process of just getting into my exam room.
Ronald Gardner, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist at Gardner Orthopedics (Fort Myers, Fla.): I don’t think we are adequately offering the more advanced treatment methods that are available to those willing to participate in those modalities when they are willing to pay for them, when they are not covered by third-party payers.
Nicholas Kusnezov, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at DISC Surgery Center (Carlsbad, Calif.): Among all emerging trends in healthcare, none holds greater potential to transform orthopedic practice than the integration of artificial intelligence. AI technology has rapidly advanced in both accuracy and utility, now offering applications across virtually every domain of surgical practice—from answering services and real-time clinical documentation to preoperative planning, operating room efficiency, billing, collections, and even scheduling and practice optimization. The time savings alone is significant, translating directly into reduced overhead and substantial cost-efficiency. Moreover, a growing number of affordable, user-friendly platforms can be integrated seamlessly into existing workflows with minimal disruption. In an era of shrinking reimbursements, optimizing your time is no longer optional—it’s essential. Let the machines handle the administrative load so you can focus on what matters most: taking care of patients. And for those still hesitant, rest assured: Skynet is far from being operational.
