About eight years ago, former president and CEO of Mayfield Clinic & Spine Institute Michael J. Gilligan and his colleagues developed Priority Consult to overcome the inefficiencies his group was having unique to spine and back pain providers. "Like many spine practices, we had problems with patients waiting two or three months to see a spine surgeon and then they found out they didn't need surgery," he says. "Primary care physicians were assessing the patients' needs upfront and were sometimes sending patients to spine specialists when really they needed to see a different type of specialist to receive the best care."
1. How it works. The software developed for Priority Consult takes patient information regarding spine issues, such as medical history, symptoms, pain onset and other information physicians gather when assessing a patient's condition. The system records the data for each individual case, which is reviewed by professionals to determine what the next best step is: visiting with the surgeon or conservative care.
"Oftentimes, the patients' pain can be addressed by physical therapy, physiatry, chiropractic care or another type of intervention," says Mr. Gilligan, who is now the CEO of Priority Consult. "If surgeons determine they want to meet with a particular patient, their clinical staff can coordinate the best time. Otherwise, nurses contact the patient to discuss which specialist would be best for them to see."
2. Improved efficiencies. In most spine practices around the country, spine surgeons might identify one or two patients who are candidates for surgery out of every 10 they see. The other patients are given a recommendation for managing their pain and sent to other specialists, which can be frustrating. Due to the high volume of patients in line to see the surgeon, many of whom aren't fit for surgery, patients sometimes wait too long for their initial visit and can experience increased symptoms from advanced deterioration. These patients could have avoided advancing so quickly with their back conditions, had they been able to see specialists more quickly.
As patients are funneled to the appropriate specialist without first seeing spine surgeons, the surgeons have more time to see patients with surgical cases. Patients are also happier with this process because they aren't spending time bouncing from one specialist to another until they find the right specialist to treat their unique cases. "Those who don't need to see a surgeon are accessing a care pathway quicker than they would have otherwise," says Mr. Gilligan. "The patient is seeing the care source for what their needs are."
3. Bringing specialists together. At Mayfield, several specialists come together under one roof to provide several levels of care for patients with back pain and spinal conditions. An increasing number of hospital programs and practice facilities are beginning to build comprehensive centers designed to meet the needs of any patient, surgical or non-surgical, who comes through their doors. For these types of facilities, Priority Consult can guide patients to the right specialist even within the center and follow them through their treatment pathways.
"Whatever amount of moving around from provider to provider existed under the traditional model of care, we were able to reduce it significantly," says Michael Graham, director of spine services and director of planning and development for Priority Consult. "The system moves patients easily from the physiatrist to the physical therapist to the surgeon as their needs progress. Surgeons often require patients to move through conservative treatment before opting for surgery, and we are providing an infrastructure to make that happen."
Placing all specialists under the same umbrella of clinical care enhances the sense of accountability providers have for their patients, says Mr. Gilligan.
"While our technology has been helpful for individual spine practices, we are also seeing a greater development in hospitals as a way to integrate spine care and make it a more efficient process," he says. "The sustainability of our healthcare system is in serious question right now and we have to find different models for getting people to the right care source earlier in the process. We believe we have developed a sweet spot for spine to make it a more effective and efficient process."
Related Articles on Spine Surgery:
Spine Surgery Can be Cost-Effective for Spinal Stenosis
Robotic Exoskeleton Helps Spinal Cord Injury Patients Walk Again
Neuropathy or Radiculopathy: 4 points on Differentiating Diagnosis
1. How it works. The software developed for Priority Consult takes patient information regarding spine issues, such as medical history, symptoms, pain onset and other information physicians gather when assessing a patient's condition. The system records the data for each individual case, which is reviewed by professionals to determine what the next best step is: visiting with the surgeon or conservative care.
"Oftentimes, the patients' pain can be addressed by physical therapy, physiatry, chiropractic care or another type of intervention," says Mr. Gilligan, who is now the CEO of Priority Consult. "If surgeons determine they want to meet with a particular patient, their clinical staff can coordinate the best time. Otherwise, nurses contact the patient to discuss which specialist would be best for them to see."
2. Improved efficiencies. In most spine practices around the country, spine surgeons might identify one or two patients who are candidates for surgery out of every 10 they see. The other patients are given a recommendation for managing their pain and sent to other specialists, which can be frustrating. Due to the high volume of patients in line to see the surgeon, many of whom aren't fit for surgery, patients sometimes wait too long for their initial visit and can experience increased symptoms from advanced deterioration. These patients could have avoided advancing so quickly with their back conditions, had they been able to see specialists more quickly.
As patients are funneled to the appropriate specialist without first seeing spine surgeons, the surgeons have more time to see patients with surgical cases. Patients are also happier with this process because they aren't spending time bouncing from one specialist to another until they find the right specialist to treat their unique cases. "Those who don't need to see a surgeon are accessing a care pathway quicker than they would have otherwise," says Mr. Gilligan. "The patient is seeing the care source for what their needs are."
3. Bringing specialists together. At Mayfield, several specialists come together under one roof to provide several levels of care for patients with back pain and spinal conditions. An increasing number of hospital programs and practice facilities are beginning to build comprehensive centers designed to meet the needs of any patient, surgical or non-surgical, who comes through their doors. For these types of facilities, Priority Consult can guide patients to the right specialist even within the center and follow them through their treatment pathways.
"Whatever amount of moving around from provider to provider existed under the traditional model of care, we were able to reduce it significantly," says Michael Graham, director of spine services and director of planning and development for Priority Consult. "The system moves patients easily from the physiatrist to the physical therapist to the surgeon as their needs progress. Surgeons often require patients to move through conservative treatment before opting for surgery, and we are providing an infrastructure to make that happen."
Placing all specialists under the same umbrella of clinical care enhances the sense of accountability providers have for their patients, says Mr. Gilligan.
"While our technology has been helpful for individual spine practices, we are also seeing a greater development in hospitals as a way to integrate spine care and make it a more efficient process," he says. "The sustainability of our healthcare system is in serious question right now and we have to find different models for getting people to the right care source earlier in the process. We believe we have developed a sweet spot for spine to make it a more effective and efficient process."
Related Articles on Spine Surgery:
Spine Surgery Can be Cost-Effective for Spinal Stenosis
Robotic Exoskeleton Helps Spinal Cord Injury Patients Walk Again
Neuropathy or Radiculopathy: 4 points on Differentiating Diagnosis