Selected Podcast
The Benefits of Outpatient Surgery at the Duly Health and Care Spine Center
When outpatient surgery is a good option for patients with issues of the spine.
Featured Speaker:
Learn more about Ashish Patel, MD
Ashish Patel, MD
Dr. Patel specializes in cervical radiculopathy, cervical myelopathy, cervical deformity, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, early onset scoliosis, congenital scoliosis, flat back syndrome, adult degenerative scoliosis, adult idiopathic scoliosis, pediatric scoliosis, pediatric spine surgery, Scheuermann’s kyphosis, spondylolisthesis, radiculopathy, sagittal imbalance, ankylosing spondylitis, spine tumors and spine trauma.Learn more about Ashish Patel, MD
Transcription:
The Benefits of Outpatient Surgery at the Duly Health and Care Spine Center
Intro: Duly Noted, a health and care podcast, is the official podcast series of Duly Health and Care. Each podcast features physicians or team members discussing groundbreaking topics and innovations that help listeners reimagine and better understand an extraordinary health and care experience.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Hello, everyone. I'm pleased to welcome you to another episode of Duly Noted, the official podcast of Duly Health and Care. I'm Dr. Paul Merrick, the Chief Physician Executive here at Duly. And today, I'm delighted to have Dr. Ashish Patel join me. Dr. Patel is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon who specializes in complex spine care including things like cervical myelopathy, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, spine tumors and spine trauma.
The topic for today, Ash, is going to be the benefits of spine surgery in an outpatient or ambulatory surgery center or ASC. Dr. Patel's going to share with us when that's a good idea and option, patient selection, different cases and that sort of thing. Welcome, Ash. How are you doing?
Dr. Ashish Patel: I'm doing well. Thank you, Paul. Glad to be here.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Well, first, Ash, I mentioned a couple of conditions. These are several things that can affect surgical spine disease, is what you specialize in. Tell us what gets you out of bed in the morning? What excites you about spine care and how you ended up choosing that as your field?
Dr. Ashish Patel: Sure. You know, it was, Paul, a similar path going through undergraduate education and then we go to medical school. And it was during medical school and specifically during a research year that I did at the end of medical school before I would go residency, where I was mentored by a spine surgeon from New York by the name of Frank Schwab who's on the cutting edge of spine treatment and understanding complex diseases of the spine. And it was that year with that mentorship that really made me super excited about the field and laser focused on obtaining a residency in orthopedics and then a fellowship in spine, so I could be just like him.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Nice. Yeah, we have an excellent multidisciplinary spine department. And even in that sort of subspecialty fellowship-based world, you have a subspecialty of the subspecialty, right?
Dr. Ashish Patel: That's correct. Although, you know, at Duly Health and Care, we have a very large, comprehensive spine practice. And what that means, to your point, is that we treat all types of patients from all ages with all conditions. And that may range from recent trauma issues, broken bones in the spine, to evolving issues like pediatric scoliosis or adult scoliosis, which is amongst some of the more complex diseases of the spine. And if you think about back pain, it's one of the most frequent reasons why people come to seek care, whether that's primary care or secondary and tertiary care. And so, people are often seeing their physicians and other healthcare providers because of their back pain issues.
And so, it's important though, whenever you have an issue with back pain, to really understand the source of the back pain first. And here at Duly Health and Care, we're very collaborative and each patient is very important to us. We're developing a back pain pathway. Because of the complexity of the disease and the very common affliction of the disease, we're developing a back pain pathway to streamline the care of these patients. You know, surgery, as we think about it for spine, is often reserved as the last resort. So, we have other interdepartmental collaboration with other subspecialties, including physiatry, pain management, neurology, physical therapy and more. And this allows us to provide the patient with the spine care that they deserve, whether that's conservative care or surgical care.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Boy, it's easy to listen to you talk. You're such an eloquent speaker. So, congratulations on your new role as spine department chair. What do you prioritize as things to implement or change as you enter into that new role in the beginning of next year?
Dr. Ashish Patel: Yeah, that's a great question. As I had mentioned, we're a very collaborative department. We have a department of five spine surgeons and multiple PAs. We also have those other interdepartmental collaboration from the other department. So, it's to seek out further collaboration. Streamlining back pain is really the goal. We want to take the patient from the moment that they're seeking treatment for their condition to their final outcome in the most streamlined fashion.
Surgically, we have strengths across the board through spine. And we offer a very comprehensive operative spine care from the most ultra-minimally invasive techniques like endoscopic spine, which we do at our ambulatory surgery center, to treating some of the more complex pediatric and adult spinal issues with our hospital partners. And so, that's what we want to do. We want to further collaborate with other people in departments that treat back pain, so that we can provide efficient care for the patient. And then, we also want to partner with our hospital partners in order to provide the most comprehensive care for the more complex diseases.
Dr. Paul Merrick: So, you mentioned the surgical center, I think that's in Westmont, right? And tell me what it's like to work there. How do you decide what cases should be brought there? And is it safe to have something as delicate and sophisticated as spine surgery in an outpatient surgical setting?
Dr. Ashish Patel: Yeah, that's a good question. So, spine surgery has been practiced for over a hundred years. And when we first were treating spine, in order to treat it effectively, these are cases that are typically done in the hospital because there would be more open approaches. There wasn't as much technology to lean on in order for us to understand where we were in order to keep safe. However, spine surgeries are constantly involved in subspecialty. And more recently, in the last 10 years, we've seen the influx of technology including robotics or intraoperative navigation. And what that's allowed us to do is become really, really focused and targeted where our treatment is going to be. That's better for the patient because we can provide minimally invasive care. And we know that minimally invasive care is more amenable to the ambulatory surgery center. So, these are technologies that help us in order to be more targeted in our care, smaller incisions and less pain during the recovery process.
But in addition to those things, we also have increased safety. We have a knowledge of the spine that's constantly evolving and better as we go through these educational experiences, including residency and fellowship and continued medical education and learning. But we also have technologies like neuromonitoring technology in order to warn the surgeon if there is something that's going on so that we can reverse our steps and not harm the patient.
So to your question about the ambulatory surgery center, I think that in the last few years with COVID, it's accelerated the need for having other settings other than the hospital that takes care of many, many other issues, not just elective surgery. And so, the facility in Westmont is only orthopedic and spine-focused. So, what does that mean for the patient? Well, it's an easier place to navigate for them. Everybody there is ultra-specialized and super focused on orthopedic and spine. And so because of that, we gain efficiencies through the operating room and also in the post-operative care. And we've been there for last year and a half and we've had tremendous responses in terms of satisfaction in terms of patients that are receiving their care there.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Yeah. There's nothing like operating at a surgery center as a surgeon that you are fully vested in, that you have influence over the whole continuity of care. And Westmont is a really a wonderful place with fabulous people there. So, I'm told by my wife and my trainer that if I have a good core and good posture, my spine is going to have good health. Is there a truth to that?
Dr. Ashish Patel: So, there is truth of that. But there are many reasons why somebody may develop a spine issue, including the type of work that they do, genetics may play a role into this, accidents or injuries that may happen. However, with the things that you may not have control over, you definitely have control over the way that you carry yourself, including posture and then the exercises that you perform. It's critical that one exercises the things that they're able to exercise. And so when we have patients that come in with back pain and they're patients that don't need surgery or even the ones that do, I stress the importance of a strong core and a strong low back, both to prevent issues, but also to then strengthen before or after surgery. So, I think that's sound advice from your trainer and your wife.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Thanks. Well, I think your leadership in the spine program in general is such a significant component of our overall musculoskeletal department, which is really gelling and coming together under Dr. Tony Romeo's broader strategic leadership. and I really think that we are serving our community in really important ways. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our listeners before we check out?
Dr. Ashish Patel: I thank you for saying that, and I thank you for the opportunity to serve the department and to serve Duly Health and Care. And we're looking to take the spine and grow spine in our service area, so that we can offer what we think that we offer, which is the very best care.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Well, I thank you for your time and, more importantly, I thank you for your expertise and your willingness to share your time and talents with our community and our company. We are better for that and I'm super grateful. So, as we close out, I'd like to remind everybody that you can go to dulyhealthandcare.com to learn more about Ash Patel and his team. Thank you for listening. See you next time. Be well.
The Benefits of Outpatient Surgery at the Duly Health and Care Spine Center
Intro: Duly Noted, a health and care podcast, is the official podcast series of Duly Health and Care. Each podcast features physicians or team members discussing groundbreaking topics and innovations that help listeners reimagine and better understand an extraordinary health and care experience.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Hello, everyone. I'm pleased to welcome you to another episode of Duly Noted, the official podcast of Duly Health and Care. I'm Dr. Paul Merrick, the Chief Physician Executive here at Duly. And today, I'm delighted to have Dr. Ashish Patel join me. Dr. Patel is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon who specializes in complex spine care including things like cervical myelopathy, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, spine tumors and spine trauma.
The topic for today, Ash, is going to be the benefits of spine surgery in an outpatient or ambulatory surgery center or ASC. Dr. Patel's going to share with us when that's a good idea and option, patient selection, different cases and that sort of thing. Welcome, Ash. How are you doing?
Dr. Ashish Patel: I'm doing well. Thank you, Paul. Glad to be here.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Well, first, Ash, I mentioned a couple of conditions. These are several things that can affect surgical spine disease, is what you specialize in. Tell us what gets you out of bed in the morning? What excites you about spine care and how you ended up choosing that as your field?
Dr. Ashish Patel: Sure. You know, it was, Paul, a similar path going through undergraduate education and then we go to medical school. And it was during medical school and specifically during a research year that I did at the end of medical school before I would go residency, where I was mentored by a spine surgeon from New York by the name of Frank Schwab who's on the cutting edge of spine treatment and understanding complex diseases of the spine. And it was that year with that mentorship that really made me super excited about the field and laser focused on obtaining a residency in orthopedics and then a fellowship in spine, so I could be just like him.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Nice. Yeah, we have an excellent multidisciplinary spine department. And even in that sort of subspecialty fellowship-based world, you have a subspecialty of the subspecialty, right?
Dr. Ashish Patel: That's correct. Although, you know, at Duly Health and Care, we have a very large, comprehensive spine practice. And what that means, to your point, is that we treat all types of patients from all ages with all conditions. And that may range from recent trauma issues, broken bones in the spine, to evolving issues like pediatric scoliosis or adult scoliosis, which is amongst some of the more complex diseases of the spine. And if you think about back pain, it's one of the most frequent reasons why people come to seek care, whether that's primary care or secondary and tertiary care. And so, people are often seeing their physicians and other healthcare providers because of their back pain issues.
And so, it's important though, whenever you have an issue with back pain, to really understand the source of the back pain first. And here at Duly Health and Care, we're very collaborative and each patient is very important to us. We're developing a back pain pathway. Because of the complexity of the disease and the very common affliction of the disease, we're developing a back pain pathway to streamline the care of these patients. You know, surgery, as we think about it for spine, is often reserved as the last resort. So, we have other interdepartmental collaboration with other subspecialties, including physiatry, pain management, neurology, physical therapy and more. And this allows us to provide the patient with the spine care that they deserve, whether that's conservative care or surgical care.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Boy, it's easy to listen to you talk. You're such an eloquent speaker. So, congratulations on your new role as spine department chair. What do you prioritize as things to implement or change as you enter into that new role in the beginning of next year?
Dr. Ashish Patel: Yeah, that's a great question. As I had mentioned, we're a very collaborative department. We have a department of five spine surgeons and multiple PAs. We also have those other interdepartmental collaboration from the other department. So, it's to seek out further collaboration. Streamlining back pain is really the goal. We want to take the patient from the moment that they're seeking treatment for their condition to their final outcome in the most streamlined fashion.
Surgically, we have strengths across the board through spine. And we offer a very comprehensive operative spine care from the most ultra-minimally invasive techniques like endoscopic spine, which we do at our ambulatory surgery center, to treating some of the more complex pediatric and adult spinal issues with our hospital partners. And so, that's what we want to do. We want to further collaborate with other people in departments that treat back pain, so that we can provide efficient care for the patient. And then, we also want to partner with our hospital partners in order to provide the most comprehensive care for the more complex diseases.
Dr. Paul Merrick: So, you mentioned the surgical center, I think that's in Westmont, right? And tell me what it's like to work there. How do you decide what cases should be brought there? And is it safe to have something as delicate and sophisticated as spine surgery in an outpatient surgical setting?
Dr. Ashish Patel: Yeah, that's a good question. So, spine surgery has been practiced for over a hundred years. And when we first were treating spine, in order to treat it effectively, these are cases that are typically done in the hospital because there would be more open approaches. There wasn't as much technology to lean on in order for us to understand where we were in order to keep safe. However, spine surgeries are constantly involved in subspecialty. And more recently, in the last 10 years, we've seen the influx of technology including robotics or intraoperative navigation. And what that's allowed us to do is become really, really focused and targeted where our treatment is going to be. That's better for the patient because we can provide minimally invasive care. And we know that minimally invasive care is more amenable to the ambulatory surgery center. So, these are technologies that help us in order to be more targeted in our care, smaller incisions and less pain during the recovery process.
But in addition to those things, we also have increased safety. We have a knowledge of the spine that's constantly evolving and better as we go through these educational experiences, including residency and fellowship and continued medical education and learning. But we also have technologies like neuromonitoring technology in order to warn the surgeon if there is something that's going on so that we can reverse our steps and not harm the patient.
So to your question about the ambulatory surgery center, I think that in the last few years with COVID, it's accelerated the need for having other settings other than the hospital that takes care of many, many other issues, not just elective surgery. And so, the facility in Westmont is only orthopedic and spine-focused. So, what does that mean for the patient? Well, it's an easier place to navigate for them. Everybody there is ultra-specialized and super focused on orthopedic and spine. And so because of that, we gain efficiencies through the operating room and also in the post-operative care. And we've been there for last year and a half and we've had tremendous responses in terms of satisfaction in terms of patients that are receiving their care there.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Yeah. There's nothing like operating at a surgery center as a surgeon that you are fully vested in, that you have influence over the whole continuity of care. And Westmont is a really a wonderful place with fabulous people there. So, I'm told by my wife and my trainer that if I have a good core and good posture, my spine is going to have good health. Is there a truth to that?
Dr. Ashish Patel: So, there is truth of that. But there are many reasons why somebody may develop a spine issue, including the type of work that they do, genetics may play a role into this, accidents or injuries that may happen. However, with the things that you may not have control over, you definitely have control over the way that you carry yourself, including posture and then the exercises that you perform. It's critical that one exercises the things that they're able to exercise. And so when we have patients that come in with back pain and they're patients that don't need surgery or even the ones that do, I stress the importance of a strong core and a strong low back, both to prevent issues, but also to then strengthen before or after surgery. So, I think that's sound advice from your trainer and your wife.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Thanks. Well, I think your leadership in the spine program in general is such a significant component of our overall musculoskeletal department, which is really gelling and coming together under Dr. Tony Romeo's broader strategic leadership. and I really think that we are serving our community in really important ways. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our listeners before we check out?
Dr. Ashish Patel: I thank you for saying that, and I thank you for the opportunity to serve the department and to serve Duly Health and Care. And we're looking to take the spine and grow spine in our service area, so that we can offer what we think that we offer, which is the very best care.
Dr. Paul Merrick: Well, I thank you for your time and, more importantly, I thank you for your expertise and your willingness to share your time and talents with our community and our company. We are better for that and I'm super grateful. So, as we close out, I'd like to remind everybody that you can go to dulyhealthandcare.com to learn more about Ash Patel and his team. Thank you for listening. See you next time. Be well.