At the 20th Annual Spine, Orthopedic + Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference, attendees were invited to join a lively discussion on addressing biases and disparities in spine and orthopedic care.
The distinguished panel of speakers included Norah Foster, MD, Medical Director of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery at Premier Health and Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Wright State University; Jacob Rodman, Chief Executive Officer of Raleigh Neurosurgical Clinic; Paul Gorski, MPH, Associate Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Service Line Management at University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics; and Nicholas Street, MSN, RN, Administrator of St. Vincent Indy. The discussion was moderated by Jakob Emerson, Associate News Director and Payer Issues Editor at Becker's Healthcare.
Key Takeaways:
- Strategies to address biases in spine and orthopedic care: Telehealth initiatives, patient navigation programs, and community outreach initiatives have been successful in improving access to care, according to Dr. Foster and Jacob.
- Collecting data to ensure equitable care: Physicians should collect data on race, ethnicity, gender identity, and payer mix to ensure they are providing equitable care.
- Diversity in healthcare communities: Jacob and Dr. Foster discussed how they have tackled diversity in their respective healthcare communities through leading by example, conversations and presentations, and mentorship programs and outreach initiatives.