1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,240 Are your patients looking for an easy way 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:04,719 to pay for health care? Wanna level up 3 00:00:04,719 --> 00:00:07,014 the way you do business? 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This is Chanel Banger with the Becker's 17 00:00:37,780 --> 00:00:40,100 Healthcare podcast, and I'm recording live at the 18 00:00:40,100 --> 00:00:43,700 21st annual Spine Orthopedic and Pain Management Driven 19 00:00:43,700 --> 00:00:46,454 ASC plus the Future of Spine Conference. And 20 00:00:46,454 --> 00:00:48,935 right now I'm sitting with doctor Musa, the 21 00:00:48,935 --> 00:00:52,375 CMO and owner of Algon Anchorage Interventional Pain 22 00:00:52,375 --> 00:00:54,259 Clinic. Doctor Musa, thank you so much for 23 00:00:54,259 --> 00:00:56,280 joining me today. Well, thanks for having me. 24 00:00:56,500 --> 00:00:58,020 Perfect. Well, to get us started, could you 25 00:00:58,020 --> 00:00:58,520 please, 26 00:00:58,899 --> 00:01:00,979 share a little bit about your background and 27 00:01:00,979 --> 00:01:01,479 organization? 28 00:01:02,114 --> 00:01:05,174 Alright. Sure. So I'm a board certified anesthesiologist 29 00:01:06,515 --> 00:01:07,174 and interventional 30 00:01:07,474 --> 00:01:08,295 pain physician, 31 00:01:08,594 --> 00:01:10,750 and my practice is actually a multidisciplinary 32 00:01:11,370 --> 00:01:14,250 practice in Anchorage, Alaska, where we focus on 33 00:01:14,250 --> 00:01:16,189 treating pain by the whole spectrum 34 00:01:16,495 --> 00:01:19,394 of care. We provide primary care services. 35 00:01:19,775 --> 00:01:22,974 We provide depression treatment with our psychiatrist and 36 00:01:22,974 --> 00:01:24,034 TMS therapy 37 00:01:24,409 --> 00:01:27,370 as well as virtual physical therapy in addition 38 00:01:27,370 --> 00:01:29,390 to comprehensive pain management. 39 00:01:30,010 --> 00:01:31,790 Perfect. Thank you so much for the introduction. 40 00:01:32,170 --> 00:01:33,310 Now moving forward, 41 00:01:33,745 --> 00:01:34,405 in recent 42 00:01:34,864 --> 00:01:36,805 years, health care costs have increased dramatically. 43 00:01:37,504 --> 00:01:39,685 How has that impacted your work? 44 00:01:39,984 --> 00:01:42,689 Well, increasing costs have been a big problem, 45 00:01:42,689 --> 00:01:45,090 and it doesn't happen in a vacuum. It 46 00:01:45,090 --> 00:01:47,409 happens to the point where we are seeing 47 00:01:47,409 --> 00:01:48,709 it at the point of care 48 00:01:49,010 --> 00:01:51,994 simply experienced by patients where we have patients 49 00:01:51,994 --> 00:01:55,034 who have insurance, who pay premiums every month, 50 00:01:55,034 --> 00:01:57,055 but yet when they come to my office, 51 00:01:57,194 --> 00:01:59,515 they have these co pays instead of just 52 00:01:59,515 --> 00:02:00,734 being 5 or $10. 53 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:03,439 Some patients may have to pay $50 or 54 00:02:03,439 --> 00:02:07,200 a $100 or their entire visit cost upfront 55 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:08,500 before they hit their 56 00:02:09,084 --> 00:02:11,805 deductible with their plan. And oftentimes, it can 57 00:02:11,805 --> 00:02:14,044 come as quite a shock where the first 58 00:02:14,044 --> 00:02:15,724 time they learned that they still have to 59 00:02:15,724 --> 00:02:16,465 pay additional 60 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,520 money is at the doctor's office before the 61 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:20,020 visit. 62 00:02:20,319 --> 00:02:22,719 So it's affected our team where we have 63 00:02:22,719 --> 00:02:23,219 to 64 00:02:31,814 --> 00:02:34,650 really ginger and delicate with that conversation. 65 00:02:35,110 --> 00:02:37,349 Otherwise, it can really erode patient trust in 66 00:02:37,349 --> 00:02:38,489 the health care system. 67 00:02:38,870 --> 00:02:40,935 Absolutely. And kind of building on that, based 68 00:02:40,935 --> 00:02:43,034 on your experience, how has the patient provider 69 00:02:43,094 --> 00:02:44,555 dynamic changed over time? 70 00:02:44,855 --> 00:02:46,075 Yes. So 71 00:02:46,534 --> 00:02:47,034 before, 72 00:02:47,415 --> 00:02:49,435 it used to be very paternalistic 73 00:02:49,895 --> 00:02:52,800 where patients trusted the physician and health care 74 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:53,300 process 75 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:54,340 implicitly. 76 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,120 They knew their doctor didn't care about money, 77 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,040 that their doctor only want them to get 78 00:02:59,040 --> 00:02:59,540 better. 79 00:03:00,025 --> 00:03:03,224 Now patients are really jaded. They've been burned 80 00:03:03,224 --> 00:03:03,724 by 81 00:03:04,104 --> 00:03:06,844 their medical bills going to collections or 82 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,840 seeing physicians who only spend 5 minutes with 83 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:11,620 them and charge them a lot of money. 84 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,044 So now as a doctor, we have to 85 00:03:14,365 --> 00:03:16,625 rebuild that trust by really reestablishing 86 00:03:17,245 --> 00:03:18,705 the doctor patient relationship. 87 00:03:19,004 --> 00:03:21,245 And in our practice, that starts from the 88 00:03:21,245 --> 00:03:22,319 top down where 89 00:03:22,719 --> 00:03:24,480 we look at our patients, not as just 90 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,040 patients, but as people where we listen to 91 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,604 them. We give them a full visit. We 92 00:03:29,844 --> 00:03:32,164 listen to their complaints. We listen to what 93 00:03:32,164 --> 00:03:34,324 brought them into the office. And rather than 94 00:03:34,324 --> 00:03:36,564 just treating them like a algorithm, we treat 95 00:03:36,564 --> 00:03:38,409 each person as an individual, 96 00:03:38,870 --> 00:03:41,829 their complaint as something unique to them. So 97 00:03:41,829 --> 00:03:44,469 we make a customized care plan that really 98 00:03:44,469 --> 00:03:46,810 incorporates all aspects of pain management. 99 00:03:47,574 --> 00:03:50,074 Absolutely. And kind of shifting gears a bit. 100 00:03:50,134 --> 00:03:51,114 From an organizational 101 00:03:51,414 --> 00:03:53,655 standpoint, do you have any strategies in place 102 00:03:53,655 --> 00:03:55,974 aimed at helping bring in new patients or 103 00:03:55,974 --> 00:03:57,114 to improve retention? 104 00:03:58,199 --> 00:03:59,099 Yes. So 105 00:03:59,639 --> 00:04:02,039 because health care costs have gone up so 106 00:04:02,039 --> 00:04:05,479 much as phys as physician offices, especially as 107 00:04:05,479 --> 00:04:06,379 private practice, 108 00:04:06,724 --> 00:04:09,224 our staffing costs have increased significantly 109 00:04:09,844 --> 00:04:11,925 as well. So it's really important that we 110 00:04:11,925 --> 00:04:13,145 leverage technology to 111 00:04:14,150 --> 00:04:17,270 cover the gap between decreased staff and increased 112 00:04:17,270 --> 00:04:19,050 patient demand and accessibility 113 00:04:19,430 --> 00:04:21,449 to providers. So we utilize 114 00:04:22,074 --> 00:04:25,754 our EMR electronic medical record and multiple avenues 115 00:04:25,754 --> 00:04:29,214 of communicating with patients via text message, email, 116 00:04:29,435 --> 00:04:31,294 electronic document signing, 117 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,319 televisits. So we can leverage technology so patients 118 00:04:35,319 --> 00:04:37,900 can interact with our clinic. So if they 119 00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:40,199 don't need to speak to a physician face 120 00:04:40,199 --> 00:04:42,894 to face, their request can still be answered 121 00:04:42,894 --> 00:04:44,675 whether they send us a text message, 122 00:04:45,134 --> 00:04:48,014 a email, or and especially log on to 123 00:04:48,014 --> 00:04:50,100 their patient portal, which gives them a lot 124 00:04:50,100 --> 00:04:52,500 of their own information. So quick access to 125 00:04:52,500 --> 00:04:53,319 health records, 126 00:04:53,699 --> 00:04:55,079 such as last procedures, 127 00:04:55,379 --> 00:04:57,379 imaging. They can see all of that on 128 00:04:57,379 --> 00:04:59,444 the comfort of their smartphone without having to 129 00:04:59,444 --> 00:05:01,605 call the clinic. So it gives patients a 130 00:05:01,605 --> 00:05:04,085 lot more control in their care and allows 131 00:05:04,085 --> 00:05:05,764 them to be much more invested in their 132 00:05:05,764 --> 00:05:07,064 entire treatment plan. 133 00:05:07,370 --> 00:05:09,050 Got it. And that brings us perfectly to 134 00:05:09,050 --> 00:05:09,949 my next question. 135 00:05:10,330 --> 00:05:12,089 Understanding that a large part of health care 136 00:05:12,089 --> 00:05:15,210 is customer service based, how does that patient 137 00:05:15,210 --> 00:05:16,915 experience impact your staff, 138 00:05:17,295 --> 00:05:19,314 and have they felt the effects of degraded 139 00:05:19,375 --> 00:05:21,634 level of trust in health care workers? 140 00:05:22,175 --> 00:05:24,009 Yeah. So that that's 141 00:05:24,550 --> 00:05:27,669 a very important question and issue that goes 142 00:05:27,669 --> 00:05:29,209 back to trust because 143 00:05:29,669 --> 00:05:30,329 a patient 144 00:05:31,035 --> 00:05:33,194 is a patient, but they're also a customer 145 00:05:33,194 --> 00:05:35,835 now. So as a physician, you're now their 146 00:05:35,835 --> 00:05:38,235 provider. You're treating them, but you also have 147 00:05:38,235 --> 00:05:40,750 to make sure you meet their expectations. So 148 00:05:40,750 --> 00:05:41,569 it's a really 149 00:05:41,870 --> 00:05:45,069 delicate balance where now, again, we focus on 150 00:05:45,069 --> 00:05:47,649 the person, making a personable interaction 151 00:05:48,274 --> 00:05:49,955 where all of our staff from the moment 152 00:05:49,955 --> 00:05:52,035 you're greeted from front desk to the moment 153 00:05:52,035 --> 00:05:53,955 you meet the medical assistant who takes your 154 00:05:53,955 --> 00:05:56,194 vitals, you meet the provider, or you meet 155 00:05:56,194 --> 00:05:59,169 the checkout staff, everybody's greeted with the salutation 156 00:05:59,389 --> 00:06:02,189 as mister or missus. We smile. We make 157 00:06:02,189 --> 00:06:04,110 eye contact so we can let people know 158 00:06:04,110 --> 00:06:06,264 that we actually see you. But at the 159 00:06:06,264 --> 00:06:08,665 same time, we have to balance it because, 160 00:06:08,665 --> 00:06:10,904 you know, a doctor's office is not Burger 161 00:06:10,904 --> 00:06:12,959 King. You can't just tell your doctor, oh, 162 00:06:12,959 --> 00:06:14,560 I went on Google and I have this 163 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,599 diagnosis on the ABC. You need to explain 164 00:06:17,599 --> 00:06:19,599 to the patient that, yes, we are in 165 00:06:19,599 --> 00:06:21,165 the information age and everybody 166 00:06:30,729 --> 00:06:31,229 possible 167 00:06:31,529 --> 00:06:34,009 comprehensive care that you can receive. So it's 168 00:06:34,009 --> 00:06:36,970 a delicate balance of listening to patients, making 169 00:06:36,970 --> 00:06:38,889 sure they know that they are heard, but 170 00:06:38,889 --> 00:06:40,269 also realizing that 171 00:06:40,714 --> 00:06:42,795 the customer is not always right because this 172 00:06:42,795 --> 00:06:44,955 isn't fast food. This is health care, and 173 00:06:44,955 --> 00:06:47,834 we spent many years trying to figure out 174 00:06:47,834 --> 00:06:49,780 how to treat patients. So we take your 175 00:06:49,780 --> 00:06:50,840 complaints into 176 00:06:51,300 --> 00:06:54,180 account, but we really focus on providing you 177 00:06:54,180 --> 00:06:55,480 the best care possible. 178 00:06:55,939 --> 00:06:58,164 Got it. And looking ahead, if the macroeconomic 179 00:06:58,464 --> 00:07:01,024 challenges of health care do not change, how 180 00:07:01,024 --> 00:07:03,044 do you anticipate the industry will evolve? 181 00:07:03,769 --> 00:07:06,410 So that's the $1,000,000 question in the US 182 00:07:06,410 --> 00:07:07,870 and health care in general 183 00:07:08,329 --> 00:07:08,990 is that 184 00:07:09,370 --> 00:07:11,149 insurance costs are increasing, 185 00:07:11,745 --> 00:07:15,105 but insurance doesn't necessarily mean access to care. 186 00:07:15,105 --> 00:07:17,444 There are plenty of patients who have insurance, 187 00:07:17,824 --> 00:07:19,745 but they can't see a doctor for 3 188 00:07:19,745 --> 00:07:22,199 months. They have insurance, but they can't see 189 00:07:22,199 --> 00:07:24,939 a specialist, or they can't receive the medication 190 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,399 because their insurance plan will only cover a 191 00:07:27,399 --> 00:07:29,000 different type. So we're 192 00:07:29,524 --> 00:07:31,845 if this trend continues, we're going to see 193 00:07:31,845 --> 00:07:34,084 the development of a 2 tier system where 194 00:07:34,084 --> 00:07:36,024 there will be people who have insurance, 195 00:07:36,485 --> 00:07:38,564 but they don't have access so they receive 196 00:07:38,564 --> 00:07:41,279 sub standard care. And then you'll see another 197 00:07:41,740 --> 00:07:43,899 trend where you have people who have access 198 00:07:43,899 --> 00:07:45,420 and means where it's going to be more 199 00:07:45,420 --> 00:07:47,915 of a concierge model where they're going to 200 00:07:47,915 --> 00:07:51,115 completely forego insurance for the common complaints so 201 00:07:51,115 --> 00:07:53,355 they can have ready access to physicians and 202 00:07:53,355 --> 00:07:56,120 receive the care that their physician prescribes them, 203 00:07:56,279 --> 00:07:58,300 not the care that their insurance company 204 00:07:58,680 --> 00:07:59,740 allows them. 205 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:01,639 Got it. Well, doctor Musa, I wanna thank 206 00:08:01,639 --> 00:08:03,079 you for your time today. But before I 207 00:08:03,079 --> 00:08:04,600 let you go, is there anything else that 208 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:05,660 listeners should know? 209 00:08:06,745 --> 00:08:10,345 Well, at Algonquin Interventional Pain Clinic, we are 210 00:08:10,345 --> 00:08:13,545 truly the leaders at providing cutting edge and 211 00:08:13,545 --> 00:08:15,564 compassionate care to both 212 00:08:15,879 --> 00:08:18,600 regular patients, to our veterans, and all of 213 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:20,759 our people who enjoy active lifestyle. And I 214 00:08:20,759 --> 00:08:24,334 would encourage anybody who requires medical care in 215 00:08:24,334 --> 00:08:26,894 Anchorage to really check us out because you 216 00:08:26,894 --> 00:08:28,995 won't find a better place to receive care. 217 00:08:29,214 --> 00:08:31,055 Absolutely. Well, doctor Musa, I wanna thank you 218 00:08:31,055 --> 00:08:32,470 once again for your time today and for 219 00:08:32,470 --> 00:08:34,149 joining me on the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. All 220 00:08:34,149 --> 00:08:35,289 right. Thank you so much.