Proper management of orthopedic private practice may lead to success
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Key takeaways:
- Private practices should consider an umbrella merger with other orthopedic groups.
- Surgeons can maximize efficiency and productivity by employing a “no empty seats” policy in the OR.
KOLOA, Hawaii — While private practice is a feasible form of employment in orthopedics, a presenter here said physicians need to be able to navigate the local marketplace, assess local competition and build a self-sustaining practice.
“Private practice [in] orthopedics is positioned perfectly to implement many of these solutions if thought out and managed properly,” Jack M. Bert, MD, said in his presentation at Orthopedics Today Hawaii.
According to Bert, private practice thrives when large health care organizations have not purchased all of the referral sources and large insurers have not contracted most of the physicians in the area. He added an ancillary revenue stream built by the relevant marketplace is beneficial to private practices, as well as developing relationships with employers in musculoskeletal care.
One solution to keeping private practice status is to consider an umbrella merger with other orthopedic groups, which would allow joint ancillary service ownership without a full asset merger, according to Bert.
“It allows you to be viewed as a private group practice to the payers, and you can take this to a huge level,” Bert said.
He also said direct-to-employer contracting for musculoskeletal care may be a solution to health care cost containment.
“When employers are asked what types of initiatives ... would have the most impact on managing costs for 2025, employers noted that utilizing control initiatives have the greatest effect on cost, such as prior authorization and utilization disease management,” Bert said.
Finally, surgeons can maximize efficiency and productivity by employing a “no empty seats” model in the OR, according to Bert.
“What they mean by that is that you truly need two rooms to maximize OR efficiency or you will likely be more productive in the clinic,” Bert said.
He said this involves a surgeon utilizing two ORs s at least 1 day per week, with 4 days in clinic, as opposed to 2 days in the OR per week, with 3 days in the clinic.
“If you have a physician assistant, they are more productive in clinic,” Bert said. “They maximize your clinic throughput and, as we have talked about, employ a scribe. [You] have seen what that does to your clinic in cutting down 6 to 8 hours a week, so you can see more patients and spend less time with paperwork.”
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Bert JM. Private practice: Is it worthwhile for everyone and what to look for. Presented at: Orthopedics Today Hawaii; Jan. 12-16, 2025; Koloa, Hawaii.
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