Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1489874
15 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP executive MBA so that I can better negotiate the business of medicine with its practice – I started the program at UCLA last July. Q: What surgical technologies most excite you in spine surgery? AK: I'm fascinated with the concept of integrating augmented reality and virtual reality into clinical training models and practice. e millennial generation of surgeons are growing up with these super thumbs — they think differently, they act and interact differently. In our profession, it just might be time we stopped harping on our trainees to put down their devices and enter the real world, and it's time for us to enter theirs. Training and cadaver labs are constrained by incredible time, expense and travel, and the current augmented reality virtual simulators are becoming more technically advanced by the day. We are increasingly incorporating them into our ORs to improve our accuracy and surgical precision. At Hoag, we can utilize AR technology and see a patient's pathology in three dimensions while navigating through the brain or spine like we're on a magic carpet. e technology can also help you connect in a totally unique way with our patients. It makes it so visually understandable so that our patients can be more involved in the decision-making process. Q: How do you compare spine robots and AR systems in their current states? AK: Robots cost about a million dollars and AR systems cost a couple hundred. But it really depends on what you're trying to do. When I hear "robot," I think about something that is automated and learns itself through artificial intelligence and experience, just like the human brain. It learns through data acquisition over time. To me, that's a robot. But current robots are basically navigation assistance; they still require humans to set up and move everything, oentimes ironically slowing us down. AR technology enables us to plan things out virtually and then navigate during surgery, but it does so at a vastly different price point. I anticipate in the years ahead that AR/VR and robots will be far more utilized and drastically improve our efficiency and safety in the OR, but at the moment, humans remain essential in nearly all aspects of surgical planning and execution. Q: How do you think spine care delivery will evolve in the next five years? AK: Spine care delivery will likely eradicate single specialty silos. Patients are increasingly going to be treated at multidisciplinary centers that work more efficiently with providers to deliver expeditious care without all the excess time between evaluations, diagnostics and treatment. is means that insurers will also need to partner up so we can break down the walls between all stakeholders. We have to move more seamlessly through a comprehensive care algorithm that follows evidence- based pathways, so we can methodically determine what diagnostics are necessary, what medicines are most helpful and what treatments work best. n 866-948-7673 • nationalASCbilling.com THE SURGICAL REVENUE CYCLE. It's all we do. It's all we think about. And it shows. UNPARALLELED EXPERTISE | PROPRIETARY PROCESSES | INTELLIGENT ANALYTICS | STRATEGIC VISION | EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS | THE BUSINESS OF Powering Profitability