by Marius Ged, on Nov 7, 2022 4:00:36 PM
Keep up with the latest orthopedics news and insights from the industry's trusted legal partner, Ged Lawyers. Here is an overview of what happened this month in the orthopedics field.
This Month In FL Orthopedics News
1) Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic Expands Care In Panama City
(Photo Courtesy of the Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic)
Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic (TOC) has taken a step in expanding orthopedic care by launching a new clinic in Panama City. The Clinic was officially launched on September 12th and is set to offer orthopedic care to Bay County and other neighboring counties, including Gulf and Walton counties.
Furthermore, TOC plans to open another clinic in Panama City within an estimated two-year period. With a focus on quality care, better access, and affordable costs, Panama's newly launched TOC clinic will significantly help the Florida people.
With the launch of the new Clinic comes orthopedic experts. Dr. Eric A. Branch will be the lead orthopedic provider at TOC Panama. He has extensive training and experience as an orthopedic surgeon and has specialized training in sports medicine and arthroscopy.
Dr. Branch has worked in providing orthopedic care to many patients, including professional athletes. Additionally, he is also a native of Florida, an aspect that may work to his and the patients' advantage.
Dr. Branch will also work with a team of orthopedic experts, including Ryan Price, MD, who specializes in pediatric orthopedics, and Andrew Borom, MD, who specializes in ankle and foot surgery. TOC Panama City will brag professional orthopedic specialists with the only orthopedic surgeon in the entire north region of Florida. The Clinic will also be the first to provide urgent care walk-ins in the Florida Region.
The Clinic is set to provide several orthopedic services, including orthopedic trauma care and hand, elbow, wrist, foot, and ankle treatments. Hip preservation and joint replacements are also included in the services.
Industry Updates
1)Florida Orthopedic Institute to Pay $4M to Settle Claims it Did not Protect Patient Data
Florida Orthopedic Institute had to part with $4M in settlement for a case of a data breach. The institute allegedly failed to protect patients' data in a 2020 ransomware attack.
The Florida Orthopedic Institute claimed that hackers accessed their servers through the ransomware attack and managed to get through to the patients' biodata, including the social security numbers, insurance numbers, and healthcare records.
The Cyberattack affected several patients, which led to the filing of a class-action suit. The suit sought $99M on behalf of the affected patients.
While the Florida Orthopedic Institute did not claim any wrongdoing in the data breach allegation, the institute agreed to establish a settlement fund worth $4M to mitigate the issue. FOI, through a court-approved legal notice, has since established settlement terms for the affected to submit their claims.
2) Orthopedic Surgery Patients Can Recover Just as Well Without Taking Opioid Based Painkillers
According to a McMaster and Hamilton Health Services study, patients can generally recover from orthopedic surgery without the use of OpioidOpioid based painkillers. Olufemi Ayeni, a professor and orthopedic surgeon at Hamilton Health services, and his investigative team conducted a study while observing orthopedic surgery patients.
The study enrolled orthopedic surgery patients for one year and assigned them to different groups. One group had 98 patients receiving standard OpioidOpioid based painkillers, and another group had 93 patients receiving opioid-free post-surgery care. The opioid-free group had combination therapy of naproxen, acetaminophen, and pantoprazole and a patient educational infographic.
It was established after some weeks that most patients in the opioid-free group recovered easily without the opioid painkillers. Prof. Olufemi stated that with the study, opioid exposure and dependency can be reduced by using other alternative painkillers that do not contain the substance. He says that reduction of opioid use after orthopedic surgery will reduce the harm it can cause to patients.
Growing Your Practice
1) 4 Ways Orthopedic Clinics Can Optimize the Patient Journey
The satisfaction of an orthopedic patient does not solely rely on successful treatments. There are many aspects of patient care that can determine their satisfaction. Patients need to feel catered to from the onset of the treatment process, meaning customer satisfaction carries through from the registration period all the way to aftercare treatment.
Below are ways orthopedic clinics can optimize the patient journey:
1. Establish Digital Access to the Patient Portal with Optimized Features
Technological advancements have made it easier for the health sector to provide better patient services. However, many patients may complain about having difficulty navigating through most patient portals of healthcare providers. It would be best for orthopedic clinics to ensure that their digital services are frequently updated, considering consumer use.
2. Keep up with Frequent Communication with Patient
Transparency and communication are things most patients fundamentally look for when getting healthcare services. Orthopedic clinics should ensure that they communicate frequently and appropriately with patients throughout their journey. The communication process should be well optimized to sustain customer satisfaction from the time they seek orthopedic services to the aftercare period.
3. Provide Helpful Educational Resources for Patients Between Clinic Visits
Patients, being the main consumers of orthopedic healthcare, need to have as many educational resources as possible. Consequently, orthopedic clinics should often provide patients with these resources, whether in terms of pamphlets during visits or updated digital platforms where the resources can be displayed.
4. Use Surveys to Get Patient Feedback
Patient feedback is vital to improving and optimizing healthcare services. Orthopedic Clinics should use various channels to get feedback from their consumers on how they can provide better services. Surveys, especially digital ones would be an appropriate way of sourcing patients' feedback.
2) How Orthopedists Can Recover More Money from Insurance Providers
Insurance companies can sometimes fail healthcare providers when it comes to financial claims. While the law is clear and contracts apply that they should do the rightful thing, insurance companies can sometimes give you headaches by taking you in circles. This is exactly where Ged Lawyers can come in handy.
Our thorough procedure ensures that vital documents are established to support insurance claims. We also follow the process to a successful end through our skilled and experienced attorneys and other professionals.
While each individual situation is unique, medical providers across Florida typically recover between $25,000 and $55,000 in unpaid claims in the first year alone. We achieve these amazing results through our safe and thorough workflow.
We digitize paperwork using apt software and, in extension, analyze the medical bills. Orthopedic clinics should take advantage of our skillful workflow in helping them sort out the actionable from expired claims. Our program also makes an accurate determination on whether or not a PIP claim has been paid correctly, based on the state's law, as well as cases from the Florida Supreme Court.
Partner With Ged Lawyers to Recover More Money for Your Orthopedic Practice
Partnering with our firm is a great decision you can make for your practice. Our team of attorneys at GED Lawyers has over 25 years of experience in personal injury protection law which we bring to every case to help you recover unpaid or underpaid PIP claims from insurance providers.
Additionally, we do not need any upfront financial investments as all costs are paid through the money we'll recover from insurers through penalties. Our client portal is also HIPAA compliant; you do not have to worry about a breach of data.
Contact us today to understand how we can help you recover more money from the insurance providers.
