Interview: Alexander Vaccaro

Tele-strong

Shift in regulations has underpinned use of telemedicine, improving care and cost-savings

Alexander Vaccaro

President – Rothman Orthopaedic Institute

How is Rothman Orthopaedics involved in the South Jersey community? We are heavily invested in South Jersey and find that to be one of our primary markets at this time. We’re proud of the partnerships we’ve fostered in the region. Jefferson has been our legacy partner. We have developed a robust partnership with Capital Health, as well as with AtlantiCare. We’re partners with the sports teams in South Jersey, such as the Ocean City Nor’easters, Jersey Shore BlueClaws and Trenton Thunder, as well as with many high schools and their athletic departments. We’ve also partnered with the South Jersey chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. We are incredibly active in the South Jersey community.

How significant has the shift to telemedicine been for Rothman Orthopaedics? I see 50% of my patients, as a spine surgeon, via telemedicine. Of those patients, 25% are out of state and 5% are out of the country. It used to be illegal to practice medicine across state lines before the rules that Congress implemented and the executive orders from the president’s office. Today, I can hold consultations with individuals in different states and these individuals are motivated to travel. This has increased business in South Jersey. For 50% of the people I operate on, I physically meet them for the first time on the day of their surgery because we have full access to them through telemedicine.

Through telemedicine and technology, such as 3D printing, we’re able to both diagnose and treat patients for certain conditions. For example, let’s say you hurt your ankle and needed a brace. First, I could do a validated examination virtually. Then, I could have you hold a quarter on the body part that is sprained, and I could use an app to normalize the relationship between the size of the quarter and the body part. I could have a brace sent to you right away. It’s absolutely phenomenal.

How is telemedicine helping to control medical costs? Through technology, we’ve drastically reduced the cost of care. For doctors, telemedicine saves time and resources, and reimbursement rates reflect this. On the patient side, telemedicine saves time and transportation costs. Patients can have a 20-30 minute telemedicine visit with their doctor and go back to work. All of this filters down to increased societal productivity.

Remote monitoring is also helping to control costs. Through the iPhone and various sensors, we can monitor patient activity after surgery. Patients also respond to subjective questions, or patient-reported outcomes. With this information, we can determine whether or not a patient needs to revisit us sooner than later.