Thomas Noonan, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at The Steadman Hawkins Clinic Denver, discusses six strategies for catering orthopedic sports medicine practices toward weekend warriors.
1. Have an array of services available. Having the orthopedic clinic, physical therapy and imaging center at the practice gives patients the option to have these services all done under one roof. Patients appreciate not being shuffled between multiple facilities for their full care. However, when it comes to imaging, Dr. Noonan cautions surgeons to use the technology judiciously.
"MRIs are a great tool, but they see everything," says Dr. Noonan. "An MRI might show a partial tear in the shoulder, but if the patient doesn't have pain, they don't need surgery. You might uncover things that aren't a problem, but that the patient will unnecessarily worry about."
2. Help patients make informed decisions. Dr. Noonan advocates working with patients to individualize their treatment plans depending on their goals. "My job is to figure out the problem, explain it to the patients and then explain the pros and cons of different treatment options so they can make informed decisions," he says. "I don't want to tell people, 'Here is what you have and you need this done.' People have individual goals that can influence the process."
For example, if a patient presents with knee pain and his main hobby is reading, physical therapy may be all he need to manage their pain. However, if the patient skis every day and the pain is overwhelming, surgery might be the best option. When patients want to return to their sports, Dr. Noonan works with them to accomplish their goals instead of indefinitely restricting their activity.
3. Promote realistic goals with patients. While Dr. Noonan doesn't like to limit patients' activities based on their joint problems, he does recognize the need for realistic goals among his patients. "If someone has a degenerative patellofemoral joint, running will aggravate that," he says. "We can help these patients by performing an arthroscopic procedure, but they might need to run less and supplement their running with swimming or biking to minimize patellofemoral cartilage aggravation."
4. Find the right balance between cutting-edge and proven treatments. New sports medicine technology is constantly emerging, but that doesn't mean each new technique will significantly improve long-term outcomes for patients. For example, stem cell injections are a new way of treating joint pain, but the long-term outcomes for these treatments are not yet available. Dr. Noonan and his colleagues participate in orthopedic research and strive to provide their patients with the most up-to-date treatment after it's been proven effective.
"We are on the cutting edge of sports medicine, but we are careful with new technology because we want to give it time to pan out," he says. "I don't immediately do the newest thing with patients because, after a few years, the outcomes may not prove to be so great."
5. Focus on customer service. Easy access to physicians and specialists is an important part of providing patients with the best experience at your practice. Even though physicians are busy with many patients every day, make sure they spend ample time making sure patients are comfortable with their care. "I'm big about seeing my patients personally; I never perform surgery on a patient I haven't met," says Dr. Noonan. "We are very much a hands-on clinic where patients have a lot of communication with physicians and specialists."
It's also crucial to have a good team surrounding the physician. Dr. Noonan has a physician's assistant he has worked with for several years to help him with his patient load. His patients know his PA and are comfortable seeing him for a minor issue if Dr. Noonan is tied up with other patients.
6. Create a comfortable space for baby boomers. As the baby boomer population ages and remains active in their favorite sports, some orthopedic surgeons are preparing for an influx of patients seeking their expertise. "Looking at the numbers nationally, especially as the baby boomers are retiring and spending more time doing their favorite activities, there is a potential need for more orthopedic care," says Dr. Noonan. "We added a new physician a year ago to accommodate for some of the higher volume. We are also sending out the message that even though we take care of high level athletes, a large part of our practice is taking care of every day athletes as well."
Relating your success with "every day" athletes is an important part of making potential patients more comfortable in your office. Dr. Noonan says that, while his practice displays signed jerseys from professional athletes they've treated, he hears more comments from patients about the generic jersey a 60-year-old patient signed and gave to him expressing thanks for helping him continue to stay active.
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1. Have an array of services available. Having the orthopedic clinic, physical therapy and imaging center at the practice gives patients the option to have these services all done under one roof. Patients appreciate not being shuffled between multiple facilities for their full care. However, when it comes to imaging, Dr. Noonan cautions surgeons to use the technology judiciously.
"MRIs are a great tool, but they see everything," says Dr. Noonan. "An MRI might show a partial tear in the shoulder, but if the patient doesn't have pain, they don't need surgery. You might uncover things that aren't a problem, but that the patient will unnecessarily worry about."
2. Help patients make informed decisions. Dr. Noonan advocates working with patients to individualize their treatment plans depending on their goals. "My job is to figure out the problem, explain it to the patients and then explain the pros and cons of different treatment options so they can make informed decisions," he says. "I don't want to tell people, 'Here is what you have and you need this done.' People have individual goals that can influence the process."
For example, if a patient presents with knee pain and his main hobby is reading, physical therapy may be all he need to manage their pain. However, if the patient skis every day and the pain is overwhelming, surgery might be the best option. When patients want to return to their sports, Dr. Noonan works with them to accomplish their goals instead of indefinitely restricting their activity.
3. Promote realistic goals with patients. While Dr. Noonan doesn't like to limit patients' activities based on their joint problems, he does recognize the need for realistic goals among his patients. "If someone has a degenerative patellofemoral joint, running will aggravate that," he says. "We can help these patients by performing an arthroscopic procedure, but they might need to run less and supplement their running with swimming or biking to minimize patellofemoral cartilage aggravation."
4. Find the right balance between cutting-edge and proven treatments. New sports medicine technology is constantly emerging, but that doesn't mean each new technique will significantly improve long-term outcomes for patients. For example, stem cell injections are a new way of treating joint pain, but the long-term outcomes for these treatments are not yet available. Dr. Noonan and his colleagues participate in orthopedic research and strive to provide their patients with the most up-to-date treatment after it's been proven effective.
"We are on the cutting edge of sports medicine, but we are careful with new technology because we want to give it time to pan out," he says. "I don't immediately do the newest thing with patients because, after a few years, the outcomes may not prove to be so great."
5. Focus on customer service. Easy access to physicians and specialists is an important part of providing patients with the best experience at your practice. Even though physicians are busy with many patients every day, make sure they spend ample time making sure patients are comfortable with their care. "I'm big about seeing my patients personally; I never perform surgery on a patient I haven't met," says Dr. Noonan. "We are very much a hands-on clinic where patients have a lot of communication with physicians and specialists."
It's also crucial to have a good team surrounding the physician. Dr. Noonan has a physician's assistant he has worked with for several years to help him with his patient load. His patients know his PA and are comfortable seeing him for a minor issue if Dr. Noonan is tied up with other patients.
6. Create a comfortable space for baby boomers. As the baby boomer population ages and remains active in their favorite sports, some orthopedic surgeons are preparing for an influx of patients seeking their expertise. "Looking at the numbers nationally, especially as the baby boomers are retiring and spending more time doing their favorite activities, there is a potential need for more orthopedic care," says Dr. Noonan. "We added a new physician a year ago to accommodate for some of the higher volume. We are also sending out the message that even though we take care of high level athletes, a large part of our practice is taking care of every day athletes as well."
Relating your success with "every day" athletes is an important part of making potential patients more comfortable in your office. Dr. Noonan says that, while his practice displays signed jerseys from professional athletes they've treated, he hears more comments from patients about the generic jersey a 60-year-old patient signed and gave to him expressing thanks for helping him continue to stay active.
Related Articles on Sports Medicine:
Uncovering the Chondrolysis Mystery: 7 Insights to Know
Where Does PRP Fit? 5 Studies on Outcomes
AOSSM, Musculoskeletal Foundation to Grant $300k for Meniscal Allograft Research