Here are the responses from seven orthopedic surgeons and industry members to the question: How are baby boomers revolutionizing orthopedics?
This is the third part in a three part series about how baby boomers impact orthopedics. You may be interested in the first two parts, answering the questions: What Do Baby Boomers Mean for Orthopedics Today and Tomorrow? and What Can Orthopedic Surgeons Do to Meet the Needs of the Baby Boomers?
Terrence Crowder, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Sonoran Spine Center, Phoenix: Baby boomers are more educated than patients were years ago and they want opinions for multiple physicians. They also want to know about alternative medicine and they expect us to be knowledgeable about those treatment pathways. On our practice website, we have developed an additional website that makes a lot more educational material available to our patients. In order to answer some of their questions efficiently, we have added little animations and videos about their conditions. After I see a patient in clinic, I direct them to the website and show them how to learn more about the problem and potential solutions. This gives the baby boomers the opportunity to become knowledgeable about their treatment, and they often share these videos with their families.
We have a very family-oriented practice where we see patients from infancy on up and we foster an environment suited for the whole patient group. Each patient is treated very individually. However, we are finding that baby boomers require a lot of attention, which is one of the reasons why we are hiring more midlevel providers. People from this population want their questions answered and demand complete care. They don't want to be ignorant about what is going on, and at any point we like to have two or three people at our practice available to communicate a treatment plan with them. Young people want to have quick visits; baby boomers want to sit down and talk with you and then repeat everything back to you. Practices need enough staff to give them this extra time.
Douglas Garland, MD, Medical Director, MemorialCare Joint Replacement Center at Long (Calif.) Beach Memorial: Some of the greatest advancements in orthopedic medicine have been in joint replacement procedures, particularly for the hips, knees and shoulders. Strides in replacing these joints are restoring individuals to greater mobility — with little to no pain. The surgeries are less invasive and advanced prostheses are more durable and longer lasting because baby boomers want to remain active longer.
Education plays an important role in achieving successful outcomes by reducing any fear regarding the surgery, recovery and transition home. Individuals and their families attend comprehensive educational classes prior to surgery to help understand what to expect, including detailing the importance of beginning therapy immediately after surgery. A family member or friend participates in the program as the individual's coach. Together, they attend ongoing therapy and educational sessions to learn what is necessary to recover as quickly as possible and how they can assist the individual's return to daily activities. An actual car in the center helps with training on how to get in and out of an automobile safely.
Sanaz Hariri, MD, Sports Medicine Specialist, El Camino Hospital Orthopedic Institute, Mountain View, Calif.: Advances in orthopedic and anesthetic techniques have allowed us to better serve members of the baby boomer generation as they increasingly find themselves slowed down by osteoarthritic knees and hips. These men and women are not the traditional "sick" hospital patients. Because of our minimally invasive joint replacement techniques, our joint replacement patients can walk the very day of their surgery. They can therefore now recover in a setting that feels more like a resort than a hospital. El Camino Hospital has built a beautiful Orthopedic Pavilion that caters to the unique needs of the modern joint replacement patients. They have staffed the Pavilion with experienced, energetic nurses and physical therapists who specialize in joint replacements.
The team's goal is to make the recovery pleasant, safe, comfortable and as quick as the patient wants. The whole process is absolutely seamless — from the pre-operative teaching class, to the compassionate care of the operating room staff, to the nurse and physical therapists who greet you on arrival to the floor, to the day that you are able to walk out of the Pavilion — relieved that you finally had the surgery and can get back to your active lifestyle. While many hospitals have "VIP floors" that cater only to patients who are able to pay a premium, the El Camino Los Gatos Orthopedic Pavilion is open to all spine and joint replacement patients who qualify medically at no extra cost to the insurance company or the patient.
Jeffrey Holmes, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, El Camino Hospital Orthopedic Institute, Mountain View, Calif.: Baby boomers are the largest generation in the country and they will all be retiring over the next 20 years which means demand for joint replacements and other orthopedic procedures will continue to rise. The retiring of the baby boomers combined with more active lifestyles at an older age and increasing life expectancy are also adding to the demand for orthopedic services. Additionally, the baby boomer generation has higher expectations in terms of choice of services and the delivery of those services, which makes it critical that we meet their expectations by improving the patient experience and the clinical outcomes that are associated with it.
We've seen projections that the demand for joint replacements will grow 30-40 percent over the next 10 years. To meet this need, our group recently partnered with El Camino hospital to open our multi-million dollar Orthopedic Pavilion. One thing we recognized is that the typical Baby Boomer undergoing a joint replacement doesn't think of themselves as "sick" and they don't want a "hospital" experience. So our facility is designed to provide a hotel-like environment where not only the patient but their family can relax and be comfortable.
The pavilion also is carefully designed to facilitate a higher quality of care with a staff that is specialty-trained and works together to coordinate care. Patients have access to educational materials before their procedures so they know exactly what to expect both before and after. Following the procedure, the patient typically is seamlessly transitioned to immediate rehabilitation (rehab facilities are close by patient rooms), so they can get back to their active lives quickly and with minimum disruption. Baby boomers want better care and I think you're going to see these types of facilities springing up broadly around the country.
Steve Neufeld, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, The Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Center, Washington, D.C.: Baby boomers have changed the doctor-patient relationship for the better. They have taken us down off the godlike pedestal and keep us accountable for the care they receive. The Boomer generation started the trend towards patients becoming very educated consumers of medical services. They advocate for their care and often see multiple physicians and seek several professional opinions before deciding to head down a treatment pathway. While this is a very good thing, as medical providers we need learn how to listen carefully and communicate effectively at the layperson/patient level about differing physicians' opinions without denigrating another provider and alienating a patient with preconceived notions about the correct procedure or course of action that might not be appropriate for that patients' unique situation.
Baby boomers may delay treatment because of the implications of "down-time." As doctors we need to be sympathetic that the patient that from the outside one may view as "high maintenance" might really be part of the "sandwich generation" phenomena — a population caring for both young children and aging parents simultaneously. In our practice, we gladly offer leading edge methods for wound healing and also relieving pain without surgery, until a patient is ready. Once a baby boomer patient is ready to undergo surgery it is our job as doctors to find proven, leading edge ways to speed up the recovery process and also offer tips for home health agencies and others that have no support system at home during a lengthy recovery.
One interesting aspect of treatments that had gone previously unmet, much to the frustration of our patients undergoing both relatively simple and also very comprehensive surgery, was finding ways of helping our patients through the psychological strain of surgery. There are a lot of baby boomers who are runners, and that directly affects foot and ankle problems. Others play high intensity sports, and they may need to switch their activity. Runners might need to become bicyclists, and that can be difficult for baby boomers to accept. One unique thing I'm doing is partnering with a friend who is a psychotherapist and starting a support group for patients who are recovering from surgery. We are planning to hold weekly support groups for these patients to hopefully address some of their psychological needs.
Patti O'Brien, Administrator, St. Vincent Medical Center's Joint Replacement Institute, Los Angeles: Baby boomers are demanding treatment that will allow them to remain active longer, which has contributed to the advancement in orthopedic devices and prostheses. Total hip and total knee replacements are excellent options for younger people with progressive arthritis, who desire to maintain a very active lifestyle. In addition, options such as surface replacement for the hip and partial knee replacements are performed on those who meet the criteria for these bone sparing procedures. The prosthetics developed for both procedures have become better and last longer, so the industry has progressed to meet the needs of the baby boomers. Since the implants are able to last longer, people can come in at a younger age for surgery and live a more active and healthier lifestyle as a result.
Aarti Shetty, Senior Industry Analyst, Medical Devices, Frost & Sullivan Healthcare: Orthopedic device companies are working on products that assist with minimally invasive surgical procedures. They are trying to enter the body through a smaller incision. Over the past 10 years, there have been a lot of advancements in these areas, despite the learning curve for surgeons. Biomaterials is another big advancement driven by the baby boomers' desire to remain active after surgery. Researchers are working on creating and building new materials that are more wear-resistant — even for trauma and spine procedures. Baby boomers want to ski and stay involved in sports. When companies are designing these products, they often bear in mind that there will be a high level of activity on these joints. The advancements have led to implants that are a better fit, better material and the development of better education and training programs or surgeons.
Related Articles on Baby Boomers:
7 Ways Orthopedic Sports Medicine Practices Can Cater to Baby Boomers
5 Tips for Orthopedic Surgeons to Connect Better With Patients
4 Ways Sports Medicine Physicians Can Stay Ahead in 2011
Terrence Crowder, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Sonoran Spine Center, Phoenix: Baby boomers are more educated than patients were years ago and they want opinions for multiple physicians. They also want to know about alternative medicine and they expect us to be knowledgeable about those treatment pathways. On our practice website, we have developed an additional website that makes a lot more educational material available to our patients. In order to answer some of their questions efficiently, we have added little animations and videos about their conditions. After I see a patient in clinic, I direct them to the website and show them how to learn more about the problem and potential solutions. This gives the baby boomers the opportunity to become knowledgeable about their treatment, and they often share these videos with their families.
We have a very family-oriented practice where we see patients from infancy on up and we foster an environment suited for the whole patient group. Each patient is treated very individually. However, we are finding that baby boomers require a lot of attention, which is one of the reasons why we are hiring more midlevel providers. People from this population want their questions answered and demand complete care. They don't want to be ignorant about what is going on, and at any point we like to have two or three people at our practice available to communicate a treatment plan with them. Young people want to have quick visits; baby boomers want to sit down and talk with you and then repeat everything back to you. Practices need enough staff to give them this extra time.
Douglas Garland, MD, Medical Director, MemorialCare Joint Replacement Center at Long (Calif.) Beach Memorial: Some of the greatest advancements in orthopedic medicine have been in joint replacement procedures, particularly for the hips, knees and shoulders. Strides in replacing these joints are restoring individuals to greater mobility — with little to no pain. The surgeries are less invasive and advanced prostheses are more durable and longer lasting because baby boomers want to remain active longer.
Education plays an important role in achieving successful outcomes by reducing any fear regarding the surgery, recovery and transition home. Individuals and their families attend comprehensive educational classes prior to surgery to help understand what to expect, including detailing the importance of beginning therapy immediately after surgery. A family member or friend participates in the program as the individual's coach. Together, they attend ongoing therapy and educational sessions to learn what is necessary to recover as quickly as possible and how they can assist the individual's return to daily activities. An actual car in the center helps with training on how to get in and out of an automobile safely.
Sanaz Hariri, MD, Sports Medicine Specialist, El Camino Hospital Orthopedic Institute, Mountain View, Calif.: Advances in orthopedic and anesthetic techniques have allowed us to better serve members of the baby boomer generation as they increasingly find themselves slowed down by osteoarthritic knees and hips. These men and women are not the traditional "sick" hospital patients. Because of our minimally invasive joint replacement techniques, our joint replacement patients can walk the very day of their surgery. They can therefore now recover in a setting that feels more like a resort than a hospital. El Camino Hospital has built a beautiful Orthopedic Pavilion that caters to the unique needs of the modern joint replacement patients. They have staffed the Pavilion with experienced, energetic nurses and physical therapists who specialize in joint replacements.
The team's goal is to make the recovery pleasant, safe, comfortable and as quick as the patient wants. The whole process is absolutely seamless — from the pre-operative teaching class, to the compassionate care of the operating room staff, to the nurse and physical therapists who greet you on arrival to the floor, to the day that you are able to walk out of the Pavilion — relieved that you finally had the surgery and can get back to your active lifestyle. While many hospitals have "VIP floors" that cater only to patients who are able to pay a premium, the El Camino Los Gatos Orthopedic Pavilion is open to all spine and joint replacement patients who qualify medically at no extra cost to the insurance company or the patient.
Jeffrey Holmes, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, El Camino Hospital Orthopedic Institute, Mountain View, Calif.: Baby boomers are the largest generation in the country and they will all be retiring over the next 20 years which means demand for joint replacements and other orthopedic procedures will continue to rise. The retiring of the baby boomers combined with more active lifestyles at an older age and increasing life expectancy are also adding to the demand for orthopedic services. Additionally, the baby boomer generation has higher expectations in terms of choice of services and the delivery of those services, which makes it critical that we meet their expectations by improving the patient experience and the clinical outcomes that are associated with it.
We've seen projections that the demand for joint replacements will grow 30-40 percent over the next 10 years. To meet this need, our group recently partnered with El Camino hospital to open our multi-million dollar Orthopedic Pavilion. One thing we recognized is that the typical Baby Boomer undergoing a joint replacement doesn't think of themselves as "sick" and they don't want a "hospital" experience. So our facility is designed to provide a hotel-like environment where not only the patient but their family can relax and be comfortable.
The pavilion also is carefully designed to facilitate a higher quality of care with a staff that is specialty-trained and works together to coordinate care. Patients have access to educational materials before their procedures so they know exactly what to expect both before and after. Following the procedure, the patient typically is seamlessly transitioned to immediate rehabilitation (rehab facilities are close by patient rooms), so they can get back to their active lives quickly and with minimum disruption. Baby boomers want better care and I think you're going to see these types of facilities springing up broadly around the country.
Steve Neufeld, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, The Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Center, Washington, D.C.: Baby boomers have changed the doctor-patient relationship for the better. They have taken us down off the godlike pedestal and keep us accountable for the care they receive. The Boomer generation started the trend towards patients becoming very educated consumers of medical services. They advocate for their care and often see multiple physicians and seek several professional opinions before deciding to head down a treatment pathway. While this is a very good thing, as medical providers we need learn how to listen carefully and communicate effectively at the layperson/patient level about differing physicians' opinions without denigrating another provider and alienating a patient with preconceived notions about the correct procedure or course of action that might not be appropriate for that patients' unique situation.
Baby boomers may delay treatment because of the implications of "down-time." As doctors we need to be sympathetic that the patient that from the outside one may view as "high maintenance" might really be part of the "sandwich generation" phenomena — a population caring for both young children and aging parents simultaneously. In our practice, we gladly offer leading edge methods for wound healing and also relieving pain without surgery, until a patient is ready. Once a baby boomer patient is ready to undergo surgery it is our job as doctors to find proven, leading edge ways to speed up the recovery process and also offer tips for home health agencies and others that have no support system at home during a lengthy recovery.
One interesting aspect of treatments that had gone previously unmet, much to the frustration of our patients undergoing both relatively simple and also very comprehensive surgery, was finding ways of helping our patients through the psychological strain of surgery. There are a lot of baby boomers who are runners, and that directly affects foot and ankle problems. Others play high intensity sports, and they may need to switch their activity. Runners might need to become bicyclists, and that can be difficult for baby boomers to accept. One unique thing I'm doing is partnering with a friend who is a psychotherapist and starting a support group for patients who are recovering from surgery. We are planning to hold weekly support groups for these patients to hopefully address some of their psychological needs.
Patti O'Brien, Administrator, St. Vincent Medical Center's Joint Replacement Institute, Los Angeles: Baby boomers are demanding treatment that will allow them to remain active longer, which has contributed to the advancement in orthopedic devices and prostheses. Total hip and total knee replacements are excellent options for younger people with progressive arthritis, who desire to maintain a very active lifestyle. In addition, options such as surface replacement for the hip and partial knee replacements are performed on those who meet the criteria for these bone sparing procedures. The prosthetics developed for both procedures have become better and last longer, so the industry has progressed to meet the needs of the baby boomers. Since the implants are able to last longer, people can come in at a younger age for surgery and live a more active and healthier lifestyle as a result.
Aarti Shetty, Senior Industry Analyst, Medical Devices, Frost & Sullivan Healthcare: Orthopedic device companies are working on products that assist with minimally invasive surgical procedures. They are trying to enter the body through a smaller incision. Over the past 10 years, there have been a lot of advancements in these areas, despite the learning curve for surgeons. Biomaterials is another big advancement driven by the baby boomers' desire to remain active after surgery. Researchers are working on creating and building new materials that are more wear-resistant — even for trauma and spine procedures. Baby boomers want to ski and stay involved in sports. When companies are designing these products, they often bear in mind that there will be a high level of activity on these joints. The advancements have led to implants that are a better fit, better material and the development of better education and training programs or surgeons.
Related Articles on Baby Boomers:
7 Ways Orthopedic Sports Medicine Practices Can Cater to Baby Boomers
5 Tips for Orthopedic Surgeons to Connect Better With Patients
4 Ways Sports Medicine Physicians Can Stay Ahead in 2011