A handsome protagonist is thrust into a cylindrical glass chamber and scanned by a sentient robotic apparatus to provide an exact medical diagnosis in seconds. That’s the future . . . right? I mean, we’ve all heard of ChatGPT at this point and how artificial intelligence (“AI”) is going to seemingly take over the world, so why not healthcare? Well, although there are some very interesting applications of AI and advancing self-teaching technologies that will likely take a more immersive role in the healthcare industry in the coming years, that’s not what we are going to discuss in this blog entry. Instead, we are going to discuss the role of individual patient treatment algorithms in healthcare and how our model at Aptiva Health is not only providing better patient outcomes, but a better overall patient experience.
Technology and the world around us is everchanging, healthcare should be no different. Instead of having a cookie-cutter approach to patient care, our goal is to provide an individualized treatment algorithm for each patient’s need. Our individualized treatment approach is developed through our expedited new patient appointments and emphasis on the use of early diagnostics and advanced imaging. Many healthcare practices have fallen into the pattern to prolong imaging or other advanced diagnostic testing due to the fear of cost or insurance mandates, but through the advancements in medical technologies, the cost of many of these techniques has fallen significantly.
For instance, if you hear a pop in your knee over the weekend while playing a game of pick-up basketball and feel some instability you probably want to know what is going on sooner rather than later. At some facilities, you may be told that you need to try bracing, physical therapy, and fail an injection before you can receive an MRI. This approach is typically dictated by many insurance companies, but if you were paying for your own care and actively participating in your treatment algorithm, wouldn’t you want a non-radiation emitting advanced imaging study to be performed at the onset to tell you whether you have a torn ligament or something more serious that won't resolve with conservative care? At Aptiva Health, we take an innovative approach to injury care in that we look to find the root cause of symptoms and pain through advanced imaging and diagnostics before sending patients down a treatment pathway that may not be the best suited for their needs.
Simply stated, if you have a torn ligament or tendon that will not benefit from physical therapy, injections, or other conservative measures, why waste your time, money, or energy on treatments that can’t address the cause of your symptoms? Inversely, if you are able to confidently state, through the use of advanced imaging, that a joint is stable and without tears, why wouldn’t you want the comfort of knowing that conservative treatment will provide the needed relief to get you feeling better? Whether you have advanced medical training or not, isn’t the logical solution to identify and diagnose a condition objectively through the use of safe and advanced technology before advising on the type of treatment a patient should receive?
Similarly, our approach is based on the foundation that not all patients are the same and not all situations are appropriate for early diagnostics or advanced imaging, but we operate as a group founded on transparency and encouraging patients to actively participate in their own treatment path. We strive to provide all relevant information and options to our patients and encourage each individual to take control of their own healthcare. This individualized approach to healthcare is the future and provides patients with an active platform to engage, understand, and benefit from our collaborative and innovative treatment model. To personally experience our individualized healthcare approach, call us today! 1-844-999-3627