Guest Column: Dr. Cyrus Press, NoVa Orthopedic & Spine Care
As physicians, we continue to look for new techniques and treatments to make orthopaedic care more effective and accessible for our patients. But we are in the midst of a fundamental shift in how we approach innovation.
Instead of developing new techniques simply because they are new, we must focus on the value proposition of innovation. Does this new method provide a better value to the patient than what previously existed?
In the end, the importance of innovation may not be in the discovery itself, but in the clinical research demonstrating its success. This is where The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics is uniquely positioned to lead the industry.
As a small private practice, I had the opportunity to learn, research, and innovate within my specialty of shoulder surgery. But in order to measure any outcomes effectively, it requires many data points. I could not adequately measure my own outcomes because my sample sizes were small. It could take many years to achieve enough data points. I imagine that many of our divisions felt the same way as independent practices.
Through The Centers, we now have a structure and organization that allows us to share data and collaborate on research – a critical advantage in the marketplace. Now, I can work with other shoulder surgeons in Maryland, DC, and Virginia to better understand the outcomes of our techniques.
Through the hard work of many of our physicians, we have worked to create clinical pathways for optimal management of various common orthopaedic conditions. This includes certain common shoulder conditions as well. Our next step will be to measure and evaluate our data to ascertain if patient outcomes are, in fact, better than previous treatments.
Most practices do not have a good way to measure techniques and treatments. When the latest (and supposed greatest) technologies are developed, many of us want to try them – but we don’t know whether the outcomes will be better or not. With data and research on our side, we can tell patients, hospitals and insurers that a specific new technology does indeed lead to faster recovery, greater motion and less pain. Similarly, if new options don’t provide a greater value to the patient, then we know to try something else and don’t get trapped doing something that doesn’t work. It’s not about simply moving the needle, it’s about pointing it in the right direction.
This measurement of innovation becomes especially important as the payment model of medicine continues to shift from fee-for-service to value-based care. Hospitals and insurers will be paying for not just the procedure but the value it creates and they need to know which doctors have the data to support strong clinical outcomes.
Our collaboration and research will build better relationships with patients, hospitals and insurers. As the demonstrated provider of high-quality care, it may even allow us to command a commensurate reimbursement for our work. This, in turn, will enable us to lead future innovation because our data will show where the next best treatments will lie.
The Centers is already at the forefront of new revenue models such as bundled payments- leading the way in innovation of medical devices and setting new standards for the entire episode of patient care. By placing innovation in the hands of the talented surgeons at CAO, combined with the ability to measure outcome and assess value and success, we truly have the opportunity to shape the future of orthopaedics.