Becker's Spine Review

11 SPINE SURGEONS Kern Singh, MD. Co-Director of the Minimally Invasive Spine In- stitute at Rush (Chicago): e new normal is a dramatically reduced volume of clinic and surgical patients. My practice was already shied towards the ASC environment and now with hospitals still being shut down it has only hastened that transition. More outpatient surgeries as patients are reluctant to spend time in hospitals with others who are infected with the COVID-19 virus. Mick Perez-Cruet, MD. Beaumont Hospital (Royal Oak, Mich.): Normal might take some time to achieve, at least till an effective treat- ment or vaccine is out. Until then precautions will be in place and we will just have to do the best we can. I do see more of a shi to doing cases at the ambulatory surgery center. Ultimately this might favored reduced spine care cost. Dwight Tyndall, MD. Dr. Spine (Munster, Ind.): e new normal for the foreseeable future is employing all the social distancing proto- cols while seeing patients within an office setting and the use of tele- medicine to allow patient access while allowing patients the security of limiting physical contact. Additionally, there will be the additional layer of patient and staff COVID-19 testing as a part of both the clin- ical and surgical practices. Charley Gordon, MD. Precision Spine Care (Tyler, Texas): e new normal for spine surgeons is likely to be decreased volumes for the near term. Patients are going to be inclined to delay surgery and higher levels of unemployment are likely to further limit access to care. Longer term, I predict we will adopt more Asian customs such as wearing masks in public and greeting each other without shaking hands. If we look at those cultures as a model, spine surgery contin- ues to flourish because ultimately what we offer are truly essential services. Nick Shamie, MD. Chief of Orthopedic Spine Surgery and Vice Chairman of International Affairs at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (Los Angeles): We have implemented changes in our practice, like social distancing and following recommendations of CDC to keep our patients and staff safe while still offering the best care for our patients. is means more telemedicine, doctors and pa- tients wearing mask during visits, and procedural changes in our day- to-day routines to increase efficiency and safety for all. But also, this 'pause' has forced us to realize how important it is to work together ... and together we will prevail. Perhaps the 'new norm' will encourage us to be better versions of ourselves. Paul Slosar, MD. President of SpineCare Medical Group (Daly City, Calif.): I really didn't know how to define 'normal' in healthcare before this recent disruption, so what may be 'new normal' is not easy for me either. I am very concerned about how much we have fright- ened our patients, our colleagues, and the general population during this recent pandemic. Many of my patients are desperately afraid to come to the clinic or hospital, as they think it is 'radioactive' (like Chernobyl) with COVID-19. It is now incumbent upon us and our institutions to educate patients, reduce their fears, and help them move forward with their medical care, be it surgical or otherwise. I think the spine and orthopedic sur- geons can make a tangible and positive impact with patients, as we are, by definition, focused on restoring function. And that is exactly what we need now … to restore near-normal function as rapidly and safely as possible. My immediate concern is guiding my patients back into the healthcare delivery system, even if I have to do it one patient at a time. n Which physicians have the most claims denied, resubmitted? A specialty breakdown By Angie Stewart F or general surgeons, 19 percent of claims are denied or need resubmitted, according to Medscape's "Phy- sician Compensation Report 2020." Medscape surveyed 17,461 U.S. clinicians representing more than 30 specialties. Rate of claim denials and resub- missions by specialty: 1. Plastic surgery: 28 percent 2. Emergency medicine: 22 percent 3. Radiology: 20 percent 4. Critical care: 20 percent 5. General surgery: 19 percent 6. Physical medicine and rehabilitation: 19 percent 7. Anesthesiology: 19 percent 8. Orthopedics: 18 percent 9. Pulmonary medicine: 18 percent 10. Neurology: 18 percent 11. Infectious diseases: 18 percent 12. Rheumatology: 17 percent 13. Urology: 17 percent 14. OB-GYN: 17 percent 15. Allergy and immunology: 16 percent 16. Oncology: 16 percent 17. Psychiatry: 16 percent 18. Gastroenterology: 16 percent 19. Dermatology: 15 percent 20. Internal medicine: 15 percent 21. Cardiology: 15 percent 22. Nephrology: 14 percent 23. Family medicine: 14 percent 24. Otolaryngology: 13 percent 25. Pediatrics: 13 percent 26. Diabetes and endocrinology: 13 percent 27. Ophthalmology: 13 percent n

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