Not many people would leave a promising neurosurgical career to tackle some of the medical system’s most complex and deeply held issues, but Dr. Ryan Grant isn’t most people. He’s a disrupter. He’s not satisfied with the status quo. Statements like “This is the way it has always been done.” compel him to fire back “But can we do it better?” And it’s out of that passion for excellence that Vori Health was born. A virtual one-stop shop for musculoskeletal care that is striving to redefine the patient experience.
Breaking the mold
As a surgeon, when you hear a statistic like twenty-five to fifty percent of spine surgeries shouldn’t have been performed in the first place, it makes you feel uneasy. Why is the medical community performing risky and needless surgeries at such a high rate? Dr. Grant believes it comes down to a lack of teamwork and communication. More often than not, medical specialties operate within silos. Primary care, imaging, and physical therapy are all self-contained services with different providers, schedulers, and treatment plans. The disjointed nature of our current medical system often leaves patients picking up the pieces of sub-optimal care.
That is exactly what Vori Health is aiming to correct with its patient-centric model. Patients don’t use the Vori Health app to see one of their musculoskeletal providers, they use it to see ALL of them. On the same day if necessary. Going through Vori Health means all of your doctors are a part of the same care team working together to give you the best and most holistic care possible. Not only does this mean more effective care for patients but it also means patients receive a full spectrum of care, faster. That is a game-changer for time-sensitive treatment options.
One patient at a time
Being patient-centric at Vori Health doesn’t just mean making the process more efficient. Patient-centered care means caring for the patient on every level. Dr. Grant calls this a “mindset shift” when it comes to how doctors see and even talk to and about their patients. His biggest critique is that medicine is too “paternalistic” when it comes to treating patients. “It’s a bit too dehumanized for where I think we intended it to be,” he said remarking how often doctors don’t refer to patients by their names, but rather their diagnosis. He calls for physicians to have a greater level of empathy. To find out what’s important to their patients and ask them how they’re doing emotionally instead of just jotting down their vitals in a chart.
A practical example of this is individualized goals in treatment plans. Too often plans contain vague goals based on standardized benchmarks that may not be best for a particular patient. However, if treatment plans are specific (i.e. a patient wants to walk around the block with their son) the likelihood of a positive outcome is high because personalized goals allow patients to become invested in their healing. Musculoskeletal care is just the beginning for Vori Health. They are rapidly expanding to every state in the US and are accessible to anyone with a smartphone, tablet, or computer. What Dr. Grant and his team have accomplished is something revolutionary and I can’t wait until the standard they are setting for patient care is universal.