Presented by Commons Clinic
Did you know that MSK conditions are the top contributor to employer health care costs and account for more than 9% of total medical service expenditures?
Physicians must lead the charge in fixing the system, and this week’s guest, Dr. Mary O’Connor, has the experience and vision to do just that.
After more than 20 years at the Mayo Clinic in Florida as an orthopaedic surgeon and department chair, Mary joined Yale New Haven Health where she directed the innovative Center for Musculoskeletal Care. This initiative included a novel approach to care, the foundation of which comprises what we now consider VBC MSK.
Realizing that she was on to something, Mary co-founded Vori Health with neurosurgeon Dr. Ryan Grant in 2020. As Chief Medical Officer of Vori, Mary continues the mission she began years ago—to bring value to musculoskeletal care delivery.
Our discussion delved into these topics and more!
Key Insights from Our Conversation
Vori’s model is to enter bundled payment arrangements with the goal of ensuring patients get appropriate care, virtual or in-person. Offering a holistic approach, the company employs non-surgical physicians, physical therapists, health coaches, and registered dietitians.
At Mayo Clinic Florida, Mary pioneered an innovative approach to MSK care that incorporated initial management by non-surgeon physicians. Through this model, surgeon capacity increased 20% and the contribution margin of the orthopaedic department improved 19%. The model wasn’t just about surgeons and administrators; patients loved it too.
Value-based care isn’t coming. It’s here and here to stay. Health care costs remain out of control for CMS, employers, small businesses, and patients. Controlling health care costs matters to the health of the nation.
To date, MSK VBC models have failed in part because of poor risk adjustment mechanisms. Surgeons and hospitals don’t want “bad report cards,” which leads to cherry-picking of healthy patients and lemon dropping of higher-risk patients.
We’ve all heard the phrase “no margin, no mission,” a quote attributable to Sister Irene Kraus, a Catholic nun, health system CEO, and first woman chair of the American Hospital Association. Mary reminds us that “no margin, no mission” doesn’t equate to profiteering in health care. The spirit of Sister Irene’s quote is that margin should be made in the service of patients.
Our North Star should always be to put patients first. Losing sight of that means losing sight of our purpose. No matter the pressures and challenges in health care, the point of it all is to help patients. Instead of paying lip service to this idea, we should be putting the needs of patients first. If we all bought into this notion, health care innovation would be much further ahead.
It was an honor to have such an accomplished physician, surgeon, leader, and innovator join us. Many thanks to Mary for sharing her insights and pioneering the movement to bring value to musculoskeletal care!
Ben Schwartz, MD, MBA
Editor-in-Chief, The Surgeon’s Record
Commons Clinic Senior Clinical Fellow
Thanks for watching The Surgeon's Record webinar! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.
Share this post