Ep 04 - Who’s The Best? Surgeon Rankings, Malaligned Incentives, & Cost Transparency: Ahilan "Siva" Sivaganesan, MD Part 2

If you missed part I with Dr. Ahilan Sivaganesan: Where’s The Money? Health Economics, Motion Preservation, & Value-Based Care you can find it here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spine-pod/id1745442311?i=1000657800891

In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Brady Riesgraf and Courtney Schutze sit back down with Dr. Ahilan “Siva” Sivaganesan to analyze the health economics that are driving cost decisions and surgical options in the operating room. This is the second part of a two-part series that explores the critical issues facing innovation in spine care and the role health economics plays in getting new procedures to patients who need them most. Dr. Siva shares his insights on the perverse incentives that can drive care decisions, how we can start to objectively measure surgeons and centers providing care, and the importance of motion-preserving surgeries in possibly reducing long-term costs to patients, payers, and society as a whole.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The complexities of identifying the best surgeons and hospitals and the metrics that matter.
• How opposing incentives in healthcare impact patient care and outcomes.
• The true personal and societal costs of spinal fusion and strategies to reduce expenses.
• The role of Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing in enhancing care efficiency.
• The creation of value-based care practices and the future of spine care and improved reimbursement models.

Tune in to gain valuable insights from Dr. Siva’s extensive research and practical experience, offering a comprehensive view of the evolving landscape of spine care. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, patient, or curious about medical innovations, this episode is a must-listen.

Don’t miss this episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Stay tuned for more insights into advancing health economics and patient-centered care.

*Dr. Ahilan Sivaganesan is currently transitioning to Naples, FL, to help the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) launch its new spine program and continue his research in health economics and patient-centric care.

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Ep 03 - Where’s The Money? Healthcare Economics, Motion Preservation, and Value-Based Care, Part 1: Ahilan "Siva" Sivaganesan, MD

In this episode of The Spine Pod, we dive deep into the complex landscape of spine surgery with Dr. Ahilan "Siva" Sivaganesan, a minimally-invasive / endoscopic neurosurgeon and health economics expert at Thomas Jefferson University. Join us as we explore the cutting-edge advancements in motion preservation surgery and patient-centric care models, and how these innovations are transforming health economics in spine care.

Dr. Siva shares his unique journey from a background in statistics to becoming a pioneering spine surgeon, shedding light on his groundbreaking work that challenges traditional healthcare models. Discover how his approach to health economics is revolutionizing patient outcomes and reducing costs.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The importance of motion preservation techniques in spine surgery.
• How patient-centric care models are enhancing treatment outcomes.
• The impact of health economics on healthcare decisions and the patient journeys.
• Data-driven examples of cost-effective treatments and their benefits for patients.
• The influence on Time-Driven Activity Based Costing on driving more efficient care.

Tune in to gain valuable insights from Dr. Siva’s extensive health economics research, and understand how these advancements are paving the way for a more efficient and effective healthcare system. Whether you're a patient, healthcare professional, or simply curious about the future of spine care, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the intersection of medical innovation and economic efficiency.

Don't miss Part 2, where we delve into Dr. Siva’s detailed research and visual data analysis, providing a deeper understanding of the cost factors that influence spine care.

Watch this episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts, and stay tuned for the continuation of this conversation around improving health economics and patient-centric care models.

*Dr. Ahilan Sivaganesan currently practices at Thomas Jefferson University, but is making the move to Naples, FL to help the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) launch its new spine program and continue to drive his research in health economics and patient-centric care.

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Join us on this episode of the Spine Pod with Dr. Avinash Patwardhan as we discuss the fundamental components of spine biomechanics and the driving principles behind why restoring natural motion in the spine is the key to long-term successful outcomes and improved quality of life for patients seeking spine care.

Dr. Avinash Patwardhan is a professor at the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and a world-renowned biomechanical engineer and researcher who has made significant contributions to the field of spine surgery. His work on sagittal balance and alignment, motion preservation, spinal kinematics and the follower load model has placed him at the forefront of biomechanics in the spine community for nearly 50 years, with more than 300 publications to date.

Over the last twenty years, Dr. Patwardhan has committed his research to the advancement of motion preservation devices, including cervical and lumbar artificial disc replacement and lumbar total joint replacement. His research lab at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital has played a major role in testing the safety and efficacy of many motion-preserving devices used in spine care in the United States today.

Listen as Dr. Patwardhan talks about the evolution of motion-preserving devices in spine surgery, highlighting the importance of understanding the biomechanical principles of the native spine and the impact that fusion can have on adjacent segments. He also discusses his early work with the first ever artificial disc approved in the United States, the Charité disc, and the challenges faced in developing and testing new motion-preserving devices throughout his career. Dr. Patwardhan wraps up the conversation by emphasizing the importance of patient selection and his future vision of utilizing both radiographic and pre- and postoperative clinical data to improve surgical outcomes.

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