Sports Medicine vs Orthopedic Surgeon

• They are experienced sports medicine physicians with a primary specialty in Family Practice, International Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, or Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, most of whom obtain 1-2 years of additional training in sports medicine through accredited fellowship (subspecialty) programs in Sports Medicine. Physicians, who are board certified in Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, or Pediatrics, are then eligible to take a subspecialty qualification examination in Sports Medicine. Additional forums, which add to the expertise of a Sports Medicine Physician, include continuing education in sports medicine, and membership and participation in sports medicine societies. Orthopedic Surgeon judgement The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons serves orthopaedic surgeons who are medical doctors with training in the diagnosis and non-surgical as well as surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.

With more than 36,000 members, AAOS (www. Common examples of musculoskeletal problems include: • Acute injuries (such as ankle sprains, muscle strains, knee & shoulder injuries, and fractures) • Overuse injuries (such as tendonitis, stress fractures. • Mild traumatic brain injury and other head injuries • Athletes with chronic or acute illness (such as infectious mononucleosis, asthma or diabetes) • Nutrition, supplements, ergogenic aids and performance issues • Exercise prescription for patients who want to increase their fitness • Injury prevention • “Return to play" decisions in the sick or injured athlete • Strength training and conditioning • Healthy lifestyle promotion. These physicians must fulfill published qualifications with the following responsibilities: • Pre-participation physical examination • Injury assessment and management • Care of sports-related and general medical needs of athletes • Special populations (elderly, disabled, women, youth, etc) • Sports psychology issues • Addressing substance use • Education and counseling on illness & injury prevention • Coordinating care with other members of the sports medicine team to include athletic trainers, physical therapists, personal physicians, other medical and surgical specialties, and other ancillary personnel of specialty care and rehabilitation • Communication with athletic trainers, coaches, school administration, as well as athletes and their families.

Factors Influencing Patient Selection of an Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Physician The rise in consumer-centric health insurance plans has increased the importance of the patient in choosing a provider. There is a paucity of studies that examine how patients select an orthopaedic sports medicine physician. CCHPs now constitute approximately 20% of the employer-based health insurance market and approximately80% of the federal health insurance exchange market. Besides enrolling patients in cost-sharing programs such as health savings accounts, CCHPs expand the role of the patient in health care decisions, including physician selection. Although several studies have investigated criteria influencing patients’ selection of health providers and plans, few studies exist that examine how patients choose orthopaedic specialists, especially orthopaedic sports medicine physicians. Such factors are particularly relevant when considering the recent advancements that have furthered the use of ambulatory clinical care centers.

Many of these centers are often independent of hospital systems and the coinciding referral networks, thereby allowing patients more independence in choosing a physician. The purposes of our study is to identify the relative importance of 19 criteria that patients may consider when selecting a sports medicine physician and (2) to assess patient preferences regarding 6 other orthopaedic sports medicine physician characteristics (appointment availability, clinic proximity, waiting room times in clinic, preferred physician age, and resident/medical student involvement). METHODS Following approval by our institutional review board an anonymous questionnaire was administered to 1077 consecutive patients seeking treatment by 3 sports medicine physicians. To minimize bias resulting from treatment or evaluation, all surveyed patients who consented to participation completed the survey prior to their first clinic visit.

The first portion of the survey consisted of 3 questions regarding the patient’s demographic information, including age, sex, and type of health insurance. The second part consisted of 25 questions regarding selection of an orthopaedic sports medicine physician. , Physician Quality Reporting System by the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), board certification has been found to correlate with postoperative outcomes. 23 While any specialist physician in any country must have appropriate licensure to practice, board certification is not always required for medical licensure in the United States. Many licensed specialist physicians who practice in the United States are bored eligible, meaning they have completed a residency in their specialty without successfully completing their specialty board examination. Clinical practice guidelines relating to whether a specialist in the US is board eligible or board certified are set by the American Board of Medical Specialties.