Samuel G Oltman, ND, RMSK
Healthcare is becoming increasingly a product of insurance financial algorithms and less and less the output of physician expertise. One immediate effect of this trend is that healthcare providers are forced to spend less time with patients “to increase productivity”. This trend has accelerated as more hospital and clinic networks are bought out by larger firms and forced to “cut costs” by having fewer providers see more patients in less time. This is what Cascade Regenerative Medicine is an alternative to. We are an alternative to the mainstream model where your healthcare provider is forced to adhere to an algorithm created by the financial incentives of your insurance plan.
“Evidence based medicine” (EBM) is a term used to describe the effort to back up medical recommendations with quality scientific evidence. Most medical recommendations are not based on high quality evidence and this term is aspirational as opposed to current reality. However, even if we had all the necessary evidence available, the current healthcare structure isn’t set up in a way to allow for the implementation of EBM. How can your doctor practice EBM if they spend 4 minutes with you? The aspiration of implementing EBM is in opposition to productivity incentives because good medicine takes time.
I place a large emphasis on teaching my patients about the nature of their condition. I believe that a good doctor is a teacher. When patients understand their condition and what to do about it, they will do better. Understanding brings empowerment. I constantly get feedback from patients, “Wow, nobody has ever explained my condition so well. Thank you for helping me understand”. You see this repeated in our patient reviews as well. This is enormously important because when someone understands what’s happening with their body, they are more likely to make the right decisions in helping it get better. Teaching, communicating effectively, and answering questions takes time.
A physical exam is evidence based and provides crucial information that guides treatment options. It involves touching and manually examining the area of the patient where the problem seems to be. In my approach, I extend this further into ultrasound imaging to look directly into the tissues in conjunction with the examination. This requires attention to detail, a routine progression that eliminates or supports possible diagnoses, and adequate time. “I went to the doctor for foot pain and they never even had me take my shoe off” is something I have heard way too many times. The physical exam has fallen by the wayside as the healthcare system slips further into the grip of insurance algorithms. A good physical exam takes time.
We treat patients the way we would want to be treated. We achieve this through the structure of our clinic operation and the emphasis I put on personal attention to detail with every patient. It’s not ground-breaking, high-tech stuff. It’s wisdom born out of understanding that patients are not widgets on an assembly line– you have individualized needs and you have the right to understand what is causing your pain. When you understand, you can decide what the best course of action is for you instead of being told by your doctor who is being told (or denied) by an algorithm (increasingly powered by AI).
We offer cutting-edge, high-tech, precision-based treatments for joint pain and injuries. The style and manner in which we deliver them is slow, personalized, and takes an amount of time and attention that is now, sadly, “alternative”. Don’t slip into thinking that your 9 minute visit that ended without eye contact, an x-ray referral, and a physical therapy recommendation is the peak of modern medicine. See the difference today at Cascade Regenerative Medicine.
Comments