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When we started this journey several years ago, I, like many of you, thought the process of integration would be very gradual. However, the rapid changes in healthcare have accelerated at a pace far quicker than what many of us had imagined, and as a result, there’s a need to be nimble and realign our strategy to meet this new dynamic. By clinging to our divisional identities, rather than embracing the power of a unified brand, we are too often missing the many opportunities that are right in front of us to grasp. We can no longer afford to just be large on paper – the time for true integration is right now, as our competition isn’t going to wait for us.
As we all recognize, the private practitioner’s way of life is increasingly under pressure. The numbers show this incredible shift in stark light, and according to Accenture’s 2015 report “The (Independent) Doctor Will NOT See You Now,” this year only 33% of physicians will be part of an independent practice, down from 57% in 2000 and 49% in 2005. The writing is on the wall, to survive and hopefully thrive in today’s healthcare environment, the path forward for likeminded physicians is to join together to invest in critical technologies, reduce costs and collaborate on best practices through strength in numbers.
With our size, clinical expertise and patient-focused mission, The Centers should be a dominant force in shaping the future of orthopaedics.
We spent 2015 focusing on the absolute necessities – revenue cycle management, compliance policy, data aggregation – to build a solid foundation for this organization. These were critical steps that had to be in place before we could begin moving forward as a singular, powerful group. This year, the focus is on brand immersion, embracing The Centers’ brand across all patient touchpoints, and creating a consistent and elite patient experience throughout every division. That way, no matter what location a patient visits, they will know CAO offers the very best in orthopaedic care.
If we want to compete with the major players, it’s important that we start acting like one. Moving forward, you will notice changes beginning to be implemented across our divisions, as we flip the orientation of our individual logos to become subservient to the corporate brand. Equally important, each division should have CAO signage displayed prominently, its website reskinned to reflect our branding, CAO apparel worn by all staff and physicians, patient-facing marketing materials readily available and full participation with SullivanLuallin’s upcoming Patient Experience Training program. To assist with these rebranding efforts, corporate will be rebating each division dollars to fund a portion of the costs.
The goal is that by the end of 2016, and hopefully sooner, we are showing our patients and the greater community a unified front as The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics. With our divisions seeing more than 2 million patients each year, there is an incredible opportunity to raise awareness for CAO every single day. It should be impossible for a patient to have visited our office without knowing who we are, and just as importantly, what we are all about.
Once we are a unified group with an elite and consistent patient experience, we will be able to harness the power of our collective strength to “Take Charge of Change” and have a powerful voice influencing the future of orthopaedics to better serve our patients.
Presenting this singular front will be very important when we begin negotiating with insurance companies toward the second half of this year, and will allow us to better realize all the many initiatives we can’t wait to embark on. We have worked hard to get the important but somewhat tedious building blocks in place, and now is the time to move forward with exciting endeavors such as a CAO-wide DME program, maximizing our myriad of PT facilities and creating an attractive Bundled Payments Program.
By 2017, through branding as CAO, we will be in a position to go to market as the most dominant orthopaedic group in our region, if not the country. We have all contributed an incredible amount of time and energy into forming The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics, and it is now time to leverage our strength in numbers to take this organization to the next level.