hands on medical specialties :: Article CreatorHow AI And New Care Models Make Healthcare Easier, Cheaper, And Better
At a first look, orthopedics may seem one of the most hands-on medical specialties. Orthopedic physicians are often physically big people, the better to push and pry when bones and medical devices need to be configured. A visit to one of these doctors frequently involves physicians moving body parts around. Yet it is also an example of how medical care can become far more de-centralized and virtualized.
Frequently in medicine, patients flow to a small number of highly-trained specialists who are in short supply relative to demand. These specialists can recommend to patients that their treatment focus on the domain of medicine that the doctor knows best, and so the patients receive a narrow range of options. Health insurance carriers, the employers that sponsor these plans, and patients would all benefit from having a broader set of options, many of which may be both less costly and more immediately available.
In orthopedics, patients are often referred from primary care physicians to orthopedic surgeons. These surgeons, naturally, are inclined to recommend surgery for the conditions they see, even if rehab therapy and other interventions might be options to try first. That can lead to over-use of surgery; a recent study found that over half of spinal surgeries in the US are unnecessary, not backed by evidence of the patient's actual medical need.
The challenge, therefore, is to get the right patient to the right medical provider at the right time – the sort of problem that technology can solve well. Oftentimes, that means de-centralizing care, which is a well-documented pattern of disruptive innovation in healthcare.
Vori Health is one company seeking to achieve this goal. It teams with health insurance carriers and others to provide more tailor-made interventions for individuals that can be more convenient, faster, and also less expensive to utilize. Typically, Vori's patients will see a medical rehabilitation physician first, rather than a surgeon. Vori's CEO, Ryan Grant, said in an interview with me, "The thesis is that the care model is broken. We're a new model focused on evidence-based care focused on the non-operative side. Our surgical referral rate is only 2.5% which is a magnitude lower than normal. I'm an orthopedic surgeon myself, and it has its place, but it's really over-utilized. The country is drunk on surgeries."
Vori Health boasts of an integrated care plan across specialties, organized virtually and tailored ... [+] to patient goals.
Vori Health
Misdirection of patients to the wrong physicians can stem from inadequate diagnoses. In orthopedics, for example, imaging is often the primary mechanism for diagnosing the problem, and yet that can be misleading. For back pain, up to 25% of cases are actually from issues in the pelvis or hip. While there might be spinal compression evident in images, that can be simply a function of age and not the actual cause of the pain experienced. A physical examination from a rehab doctor can be more broad ranging to find the particular issues in play for a patient.
Technology like AI can play a key role. Patients may have hundreds of documents in their medical record, and clinicians benefit from their synthesis. AI can also translate physicians' recommendations into layman's terms. It can give patients orthopedic exercises to do at home, and it can assess how well they were performed. Additionally, AI can flag patients who may be inappropriately referred, which fits an emerging pattern of AI enabling the de-centralization of medicine.
Other companies are tackling other medical specialties, such as Oshi Health with gastrointestinal issues. Oshi boasts of its approach to find the root cause of systems, rather than having the multiple referrals among hard-to-access specialists that often occurs with GI conditions.
The trend applies to larger companies, too. DaVita, one of the dominant US firms in kidney care, uses AI to risk-stratify patients and alert specialists in advance of potentially adverse events. This helps to keep patients at home and prevent hospitalizations.
Many medical technologies have ended up increasing the cost of care without fundamentally impacting its convenience. But these uses of AI and more generally of de-centralized care may reduce costs, enhance patient access to clinicians, and improve medical outcomes. The future looks compelling.
Specialties At UFHealth Ranked Best Among Nation By U.S. News
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Practical Anatomy And Surgical Education
Saint Louis University's Practical Anatomy and Surgical Education's hands-on cadaver workshops and surgical trainings are designed to provide realistic learning experiences for health care professionals. We offer courses to physicians, residents, fellows, U.S. Military personnel, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and surgical assistants.
SLU's PASE laboratory facility is also available for rentals and industry-hosted training programs and events.
More than 20 CME programs for surgeons and health care professionals, lasting from one to five days, are offered each year.
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Participants in our CME workshops review intricate surgical anatomy, refine their surgical techniques and interact one-on-one with world-class faculty from Saint Louis University, Washington University, Harvard University and the University of California at Los Angeles, among others. Areas represented in PASE's CME course offerings include:
Neurosurgery Otolaryngology Head and neck surgery Spinal surgery Cosmetic surgery Plastic and reconstructive surgery Gynecological and laparoscopic surgery Vascular surgery Minimally invasive procedures Podiatry Orthopedic Emergency skills PASE's continuing surgical education courses take place in our world-renowned facility in St. Louis, Missouri. With top-notch bioskills labs and an easily accessible location on the campus of Saint Louis University, PASE offers the ideal setting for ongoing, hands-on medical education.
How many CME credits can I earn through PASE?
On average, health care professionals earn 19 CME credits at one of Saint Louis University's Practical Anatomy and Surgical Education workshops, though individual courses have ranged from 10 CME credits to 40 CME credits.
What happens during a CME conference at PASE?
Each hands-on workshop typically consists of a series of didactic presentations by renowned faculty and equal amounts of time in the cadaver laboratory each day. Many of the surgical techniques reviewed are demonstrated on cadaveric specimens and projected in 3-D. To find out more about our interactive labs, take a tour of our facility.
What physician specialties or other groups does PASE serve?
PASE offers CME courses for:
Neurosurgeons Plastic surgeons (facial, cosmetic and oculoplastic) Orthopedic surgeons Oral and maxillofacial surgeons Dermatologic surgeons Ophthalmologists General and colorectal surgeonsGynecologic oncologists Otolaryngologists Emergency room physicians and paramedics Vascular surgeons Physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses PASE also frequently offers hands-on cadaver workshops for neuroscience registered nurses, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, as well as paramedics. Check our schedule for upcoming workshops.
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All PASE workshops for physicians are accredited through the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, which is, in turn, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the accrediting body of the American Medical Association.
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