Service-Line Update: Joint Bundle, Helmet Impact Monitor Deployed
By Gary Blake, vice president, service line integration, orthopedics
The orthopedic service line in conjunction with reimbursement services and several joint surgeons have completed the joint care redesign and bundled product for introduction in the November timeframe. The bundled product will be unique compared to others in the market because it will include post-discharge services. These services include any post-discharge care provided for physical therapy or physician office follow-up. The care path and bundle are designed to optimize patients prior to surgery and patients should rarely need EFC care. This will be a significant advantage to companies selecting the product and will add value to the overall joint service.
Orthopedic surgeons who are part of the joint bundle will follow the care path that was established by the joint surgeon team. This will ensure consistency and efficiency in the process. Patient outcomes will continue to be monitored using industry supported tools that measure a patient’s pain and mobility at specified time increments following the joint replacement. This information will be posted for patients and the public to access.
The Sports Medicine Institute met with several athletic directors from our school partnerships to discuss a new technology called InSite. InSite is a technology that is placed in a football player’s helmet and measures the impact to the helmet during football games and practices. The technology registers the information on a device that tracks the information. This information is downloaded, accessed by the athletic director, team physician, and athletic trainer, and used for teaching purposes.
The medical directors for Sports Medicine met with the athletic directors to establish a protocol for when information will be downloaded and accessed. This is a new technology and has not been scientifically proven. The physicians felt that although the technology looks promising, the output needs to be validated. As a result, the medical directors established a conservative approach protocol for all Premier Health schools. Currently, only five of the 41 Premier Health schools have invested in the technology. Early results indicate a high level of false positives in relationship to the national and international standard assessment protocol used by athletic trainers and physicians. More assessment of the data will occur following the football season.
Back to the November 2017 issue of Premier Pulse
