Are Sports-Specific Doctors Superior?

University of Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long has touted Arkansas’ new orthopedic agreement because it features multiple doctors with sports medicine fellowship training.

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But what does that distinction really mean when it comes to treating athletes? And how much better does a sports medicine fellowship make one doctor compared to one with fellowship training in a specific area of the body?

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“It doesn’t,” Long said. “Sports medicine, board certified, just tells you they have experience with, and have been trained specifically with, some sports injuries.

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“We put a value on that. Was it the only thing considered? Absolutely not. It was one of the factors considered.”

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Securing orthopedists who specialize in sports medicine was among the criteria laid out by Long in his department’s search for health care providers. The process took place over a six-month period in which the UA worked to unify its health care structure and secure multi-year agreements with providers.

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Long found multiple doctors who fit the description of sports medicine specialists when the UA entered into a partnership with Advanced Orthopaedic Specialists and Physicians’ Specialty Hospital in June. In doing so, the UA ended longstanding relationships with Ozark Orthopaedics and Washington Regional Medical Center.

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Arkansas welcomed four doctors carrying sports-specific credentials into its new health care arrangement. That’s double the number of sports medicine specialist Ozark Orthopaedics offered.

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Sports medicine-trained physicians, one source explained, have a different sense of urgency in getting an athlete back on the field as soon as “medically and ethically feasible.

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Depending on the severity of the injury, though, a body part-specific specialist could be needed. It would be the duty of the sports medicine physician to send his patient to a specialist.

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Under the current model, the Razorbacks have access to fewer specialists in Northwest Arkansas. It is possible athletes with chronic or severe injuries would have to leave the area for treatment, something that rarely happened under the previous arrangement.

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What Ozark lacked in sports specialists, it offered in doctors who specialize in specific body parts. Ozark has doctors who deal primarily with hands, feet, ankles and upper extremities (fingertips to shoulder). There is also a physician on staff who specializes in spinal surgery.

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“We have pretty much every part of the body covered,” said Dr. Tom Patrick Coker, a surgeon at Ozark. “On top of that, we have the experience of working with a Division I program that nobody else has.”

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Dr. Rod Walters, a Hall of Fame trainer and sports medicine consultant from South Carolina, evaluated Arkansas’ program in 2007. Walters said if he were putting together a medical team, he’d opt for the Razorbacks’ previous model.

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“I would want a physician with all of the sports medicine knowledge, but one that also had quick access to sub-specialists,” Walters said. “You’ve got to have sub-specialists out the wazoo.”

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So if a Razorbacks athlete injures a hand and needs a specialist to look at it? Don’t count on a specialist from Ozark Orthopaedics coming to the rescue.

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“It isn’t going to happen,” one source said.

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Dr. Chris Arnold, a surgeon with Advanced Orthopaedic, is confident his group can provide whatever type care is needed. All four of the group’s surgeons, Arnold said, spent a year traveling with, and conducting clinics for, professional sports teams.

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“We all see hand injuries and foot injuries, and we operate on those,” Arnold said. “Just because we didn’t specialize in those areas doesn’t mean we can’t treat them.”

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Arkansas’ Health Operation
Unifying health care was among the goals University of Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long set when combining the men’s and women’s departments last year. There were a number of factors outlined by Long and other UA officials as they sought new agreements with health care providers. In addition to sponsorship money, what the UA was looking for pertaining to athlete care can be boiled down to five key components:

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Continuity of Care

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Previously, there were different systems in place for men and women athletes. The UA had one structured plan for its major men’s sports — the “Partnership of Care” — but non-revenue and women’s sports operated essentially on their own. Now the same system applies to all sports and there is no difference in how athletes are treated.

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Fast-Track Status

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Ever wished you could forgo the long wait that seems to come with every visit to the doctor’s office or hospital? That’s exactly what Arkansas sought to do for its athletes, asking health care providers for quicker time from entry to examination. Typically, though, the worse the injuries, the quicker they are treated, even with the new partnerships.

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Go-To Guy

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Every sport has a coach. Why shouldn’t athletes have a specific doctor? Establishing a go-to medical expert for each sport was a need. Football gets two doctors; another is assigned to men’s basketball, volleyball, track, cross country, tennis, golf and spirit squads. Yet another oversees care for baseball, women’s basketball, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, diving and softball.

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Preferred Pricing

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Health care expenditures are rarely the same from year to year. Several factors contribute to the costs, including the number and severity of injuries suffered by athletes in a given year. The UA sought to decrease costs with a new agreement. Long said he believes the department has an opportunity to cut costs, but there are no guarantees.

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Sports Specialization

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Some doctors specialize in treating high-level athletes. Long wanted more sports medicine specialists, and he found it with Advanced Orthopaedic Specialists and Physicians’ Specialty Hospital. Advanced Orthopaedic Specialists employs four doctors considered to be experts in sports-related injuries. That’s double what Ozark Orthopaedics provided, though Ozark has a larger total staff that includes more body part-specific specialists.