Hosted by Dr. Scott Sigman- “Helping Private Practices Maintain Independence”

Take out a pen and paper with this tangible advice to improve physician private practice. Omar Khateeb, Head of Growth for Gentem, joins us to discuss how practices can make data driven decisions to help scale their business.

Gentem transforms the reimbursement experience by not only handling the end-to-end billing and revenue cycle processes, but also reimbursing physicians upfront. Leveraging automation, data science, and the latest financial technologies, Gentem is able to increase cash flow while reducing receivable days and uncovering opportunities to increase revenue. Topics include:

-Special offer for our listeners: Get a free billing and revenue analysis from the team at Gentem. Go to gentem.com/orthoshow to submit your information. For MD’s, you can also get 1 CME credit.

–Find your niche and focus on it. Pick something where you want to be the known brand.

–Medicine is a business: What is the workflow, process and environment like in your practice? Put yourselves into your patient’s shoes from the moment they call for an appointment, walk into the office and all the way through their departure. Customer experience is key for patient retention.

–Ancillary revenue streams: You need to diversify and expand on multiple sources of income. Investigate cash pay treatments with positive clinical results to help add revenue streams to practices. It also helps provide options for your patients that are not available under their insurance plan.

–Billing analysis is important for any successful practice. Orthopedics is in the top 5 of claims declined and many practices don’t have the reporting needed to make changes when needed. Ask you billers: a.) How much is in our accounts receivable? b.) What is the average time for things in accounts receivable? c.) What is our net collections rate? d.) What is our charge lag?

–Lost revenue calculator: Go to gentem.com/lostrevenue. Plug in monthly and quarterly collection information to get guidance and advice.

Find out more about Omar Khateeb here and Gentem here.

For MD’s, click on the EARN CME link below to capture quick reflections on each learning & how it applies to your day-to-day to unlock a total of1AMA PRA Category 1 CMEs.

Hosted by Dr. Scott Sigman – “Dr. Andrew Chen”

Dr. Andrew Chen is a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon at Littleton Regional Healthcare in Franconia, NH. He is also the Medical Director and Head Team Physician for USA Nordic Sports. He will be at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, 2022 to support the team.

Dr. Chen and Dr. Sigman had the opportunity to travel together for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and hear their fond memories from that trip.

We also discuss Dr. Chen’s time in undergrad at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his residency at NYU Langone Hospital for Joint Diseases. He talks about his passion for sports medicine and completing his fellowship at Steadman-Hawkins Sports Medicine Clinic. We also discuss his position as the Medical Director and Head Team Physician for USA Nordic Sport.

Find out more about Dr. Andrew Chen here.

For MD’s, capture quick reflections on each learning below & how it applies to your day-to-day to unlock a total of1AMA PRA Category 1 CMEs.

Hosted by Dr. Scott Sigman – “Olympic Gold: Dr. Chris Lee”

Dr. Christopher Lee is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, arthroscopy,joint and cartilage preservation as well as shoulder and knee replacements. He is in private practice in Burbank, CA. Dr. Lee is also the team physician for men and women’s USA National Indoor Volleyball Team. He traveled with the team’s to Tokyo for the 2021 Summer Olympics, where he was on the court with the women’s team gold medal win.

Topics include:

-We continue to bring you the best of the best in orthopedics, including those with unique experiences. We hear about Dr. Lee’s experience as a violinist since an early age.

-He is part of the “Tufts University Triple Jumbo.” Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Lee attended Tufts University where he received awards for both academic and artistic achievements. Dr. Lee subsequently attended the Tufts University School of Medicine where he participated in the MD/MBA program. After completing the Tufts Combined Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery, he then received his fellowship training at the San Diego Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine Fellowship where he trained with international pioneers in sports medicine, arthroscopy and shoulder replacement surgery.

-Dr. Lee discusses the long, arduous road to becoming the lead physician for the USA National Indoor Volleyball team for both men’s and women’s teams’. He gives us the insights going to Tokyo for the Olympics, the challenges while there and ultimately, being there for the women’s team big gold win.

Find out more about Dr. Christopher Leehere.

For MD’s, capture quick reflections on each learning below & how it applies to your day-to-day to unlock a total of1AMA PRA Category 1 CMEs.

Hosted by Dr. Scott Sigman – “Trendsetter: Dr. Matt Barber”

We’ve gone south to interview Dr. Matt Barber, an orthopedic surgeon in private practice at Alabama Orthopaedic Clinic in Mobile, Alabama. Dr. Barber is a fellowship-trained specialist in joint replacement surgery of the knee and hip. His commitment to continuous learning and education helps him to select the best techniques and technologies to achieve great outcomes for his patients. Because of his experience with advanced technologies such as custom implants, robotics and computer navigation; Dr. Barber is sought out by patients throughout the Southeast region. Topics include:

-You’re missing out if you don’t follow him on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn! He provides educational information to patients, along with engaging on platforms, such as LinkedIn, with peers on challenges or problematic cases.

-We discuss his perspective of what’s happening in technology in total knee replacement.

-We hear about his Ortho Real podcast. Check it out here.

Find out about Dr. Matt Barber here.

For MD’s, capture quick reflections on each learning below & how it applies to your day-to-day to unlock a total of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 CMEs.

Hosted by Dr. Scott Sigman – “Laser Show with Dr. Marc Pietropaoli”

We’re pivoting back to telling the great stories of orthopedic surgeons for this episode. Marc Pietropaoli, MD is a brother from another orthopedic laser mother, as the one who turned Dr. Sigman onto utilizing laser as an alternative treatment modality for acute and chronic orthopedic conditions. We discuss how laser has changed their practice and impacting patients in a positive way.

Dr. Pietropaoli is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, fellowship trained in sports medicine. He is recognized as one of the leading sports medicine and orthopedic surgeons in Upstate New York. As the founder of Victory Sports Medicine & Orthopedics in Skaneateles, NY, Dr. Pietropaoli has built an innovative clinical practice that is driven by outstanding customer service.  

Topics include:

-Dr. Pietropaoli’s fellowship at The Andrews Institute and learning about the teamwork needed to optimize patient and athlete outcomes.

-Dr. Pietropaoli influenced Dr. Sigman in utilizing laser in clinical practice. We discuss how lasers work on acute and chronic orthopedic conditions by decreasing inflammation, increasing blood flow to the area, inhibiting nerve fibers and stimulating the powerhouse cells of mitochondria. There are more and more studies coming out on lasers, along with a recommendation for laser therapy in the AAOS Guidelines for Osteoarthritis of the Knee released earlier this month. Lasers are listed in the AAOS guidelines as FDA-approved laser treatment may be used to improve pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The full AAOS Guidelines for Osteoarthritis of the Knee can be found here.

Find out more about Dr. Marc Pietropaoli here.

For MD’s, click on the EARN CME link below to capture quick reflections on each learning & how it applies to your day-to-day to unlock a total of1AMA PRA Category 1 CMEs.

Hosted by Dr. Scott Sigman – “Dr. Jaime Garza and Dr. Jim Kovach”

We have on Dr. Jim Kovach and Dr. Jaime Garza, also both NFL alumni, for this episode who are incredibly passionate about research, orthobiologics and cellular mediated therapies. It’s a perfect dovetail episode after our Dr. Scott Bruder episode on the FDA Consumer alert on orthobiologics. We discuss further what you can/can’t do in orthobiologics and discuss an innovation in pre-market approval.

Jim Kovach is MD, JD, Executive Director, Translational Entrepreneurship, UC Davis School of Medicine, where he supports physician training in entrepreneurship; and industry outreach to support translational science. He identifies products that are consistent in formulation and can developed, scaled and distributed to help solve challenges in medicine. Dr. Kovach received his medical degree with distinction from the University of Kentucky while simultaneously playing in the National Football League. Dr. Kovach played 7 years in the National Football League as a middle linebacker for the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers.

Dr. Jaime R. Garza M.D., D.D.S., F.A.C.S. is a native San Antonian with a focus on academics and clinical trials. He has academic appointments as a professor at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center and at Tulane School of Medicine. He is also the President of the Texas Center for Cell Therapy and Research, LLC. A former college football player before entering medical school, Dr. Garza has served as team or tournament physician for several college and professional teams including the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and the and U.S. Olympic track and field team.

Topics include:

-We hear about their involvement in pivotal investigational device exemption (IDE) studies with GID BIO, Inc.. An IDE allows an investigational device to be used in a clinical study to obtain pre-market approval (PME) for class III medical devices. The first study was a safety and feasibility study with the second being a double blind placebo controlled trial at three sites. Tune-in to hear about the technology and the goals of the study outcomes.

-Both are college football and NFL alumni with a passion to educate former players and facilitate outreach to industry. A decade ago, Dr. Garza received emails from NFL alumni about “great stem cell treatments available for free,” yet it wasn’t legitimate. He has since educated alumni and physicians on how they were being targeted and how to protect the NFL Alumni name. It was a significant organizational wake-up call and is now headed in the right direction with the establishment of NFL Alumni Healthcare Committee, for which Dr. Kovach and Dr. Garza serve as senior medical advisors.

Find out more about Dr. Jim Kovach here and find out more about Dr. Jaime Garza here. Interested in GID BIO, Inc., find out more information here.

For MD’s, capture quick reflections on each learning below & how it applies to your day-to-day to unlock a total of1AMA PRA Category 1 CMEs.