Staff shortages, insurers compound spine surgeons' patient experience challenges
By Admin | August 17, 2022
Question: What are the biggest challenges your practice faces when it comes to the patient experience? How are you addressing those challenges?
Adam Kanter, MD. Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach, Calif.): One of the greatest challenges in medicine these days as it relates to the patient experience is good old-fashioned sincere "face time." So much of our visit is now consumed by EMR paperwork, patient outcome surveys, satisfaction questionnaires, ratings, reviews, etc. Both the patient and physician have double the paperwork to complete in half the time. It is an ill-fated modern reality that has hindered our ability to get to genuinely know our patients, yet we are asked to provide a personalized treatment plan based on their individual needs and expectations. It's quite the conundrum. As physicians, we need to balance the administrative challenges of running a contemporary spine practice with our earnest desire to get to know our patients as people, so we can help empower them to make the best decisions for their own physical and psychological well-being.
Jeremy Smith, MD. Hoag Orthopedic Institute (Newport Beach, Calif.): In a post-pandemic high-inflation era, we are experiencing multiple obstacles that interfere with quality of care. Staff shortages continue to play a significant role in hindering the patient experience. These shortages are happening in the clinic, ASC and hospital and have significantly impacted workflow and efficiency. Delays in care for diagnostic studies, procedures and surgery have been more commonplace. Therefore, maintaining high-level quality of care and ensuring excellent outcomes has become more difficult. Existing staff have been stressed to their limits to accommodate these shortages and...(More)
For more info please read, Staff shortages, insurers compound spine surgeons' patient experience challenges, By Becker's Spine Review
