Q: The Dallas Business Journal award honors physicians who show exemplary performance in their field. To what do you attribute your success?
Dr. Michael Rimlawi: I am very fortunate to work in the field that is my passion. Because of this, I approach each day with a positive outlook and attitude. I also love new challenges. As new technologies are developed that can benefit my patients, I seek them out and undergo the training needed to always offer the most advanced treatments available.
Q: What are your professional goals this year and for the next few years?
MR: As you know, there is quite a bit of friendly competition between surgeons. Everyone wants to be the first to perform a particular procedure or to develop a new technique. This quest is part of what drives us all to continuously learn new ways to treat the wide variety of back and neck ailments. Therefore, I always explore all new technologies and procedures and add them to my practice if they provide a real benefit to my patients.
Q: What do you see as the biggest opportunities for spine medicine and the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute over the next few years?
MR: For years, if you mentioned spine procedures to someone, they would turn and run in fear because they had heard terrible stories from someone they knew who underwent traditional spine surgery. However, through the continuing advancements in minimally invasive spine procedures, more and more people are having positive outcomes and getting back to living a full and active life. I believe this will only continue and even grow over the next several years. For The Minimally Invasive Spine Institute, the biggest opportunity is to continue to stay at the forefront of the industry and be recognized as one of the preeminent destinations worldwide for advanced minimally invasive spine treatment.
Q: What are the challenges and issues that most concern you?
MR: The business side of medicine is always a challenge. Having to manage and stay on top of the constant changes in health care coverage laws is time consuming. While it is a necessary part of my practice, I never want these challenges to impact my ability to treat my patients.
Q: Is there a specific new surgical technique or technology that is most exciting to you?
MR: Currently, we perform procedures such as endoscopic discectomy through incisions of one-half inch or less. We are most excited about a breakthrough that we are currently developing with engineers at an international spine instrument company. When complete, this new technology will enable us to perform spine fusions and nucleus (disc) replacement procedures through a 7mm incision on an outpatient basis. People will literally be able to return home the same day as their procedures.
Additionally, the new procedures will result in far less blood loss and trauma, as compared to the traditional methods of treating these conditions. This revolutionary approach has the potential to save several millions of dollars in health care costs each year. We are excited to be on the cutting edge of such a major advancement in our industry.
Q: Is there a single initiative your organization has undertaken in the past year that has proven to be financially or operationally beneficial and that you are particularly proud of?
MR: We are extremely fortunate in that we have enjoyed tremendous growth over the past few years. But, sometimes, growth can be a double-edged sword. On the business side, growth is always great, but it is important that growth does not affect the patient experience. I think one of the issues we recognized was anticipation of staffing needs and taking time to recruit and hire people who share our vision for superior patient care. We want every patient that interacts with The Minimally Invasive Spine Institute to have a positive experience, and everyone on our staff makes this happen every day.
Read more about the Dallas Business Journal‘s recognition of Dr. Michael Rimlawi.
Learn about the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute.
