Dr. Alyson Engle, Interventional Pain Physician

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s 22nd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference features Dr. Alyson Engle, Interventional Pain Physician. Dr. Engle shares her perspective on shifting payer dynamics, workforce engagement, the growing role of AI, and how collaborative, patient-centered care models are reshaping independent practice and outpatient pain management.

Episode Transcript

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This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare
Podcast, and we are recording live at the
twenty second annual Spine Orthopedic and Pain Management
Conference.

(00:43):
I'm currently joined by Doctor. Alison Engel, who
is experienced in small independent practices as well
as large corporate structures, and she's here to
share some of her insights today.
So Doctor. Engel, thank you for being here.
Thank you for having me. And let's just
jump right in and start our conversation off
with what trends or shifts you're currently seeing
right now in the industry that you think

(01:03):
are most important for industry leaders to pay
attention to.
Yes. That's a great question. We've been seeing
a lot of,
denials, especially in the pain space. So I'm
an interventional pain physician and anesthesiologist.
And so we're seeing
a lot of difficulty in getting reimbursements
or prior auths for commercial insurance payers.

(01:25):
And so we have seen a shift of
a lot of practices
moving towards or trying to move towards
workers' comp, PI,
or
concierge type of medicine
for the revenue streams and to increase their
profitability.
And staffing and workforce challenges also continue to

(01:46):
be a concern across healthcare. So how is
your organization,
navigating these pressures, and what strategies have you
seen work well? You know, this is a
great question because I have been in a
lot of places. And one,
overall theme I've seen at the ones that
work the best, that have a great operational
team is getting

(02:07):
a vibe of good people, everyone being on
the same page, bringing positive energy,
and
leaning into each person's passions or where they
really do well.
I think the the hard part when staffing
comes up is when people don't feel respected
or appreciated
or feel like there's a a value for
them in the organization. So I think those

(02:29):
key those three key things help our team
members feel
supported. And it we've got a great team
now, and it's, everyone works together very well.
And as outpatient care continues to grow, how
do you see the role of orthopedics and
ASCs evolving within the broader healthcare ecosystem?
I I really see on the ground,

(02:51):
that private practices are merging and condensing with
other, maybe primary care, rheumatology,
orthopedics,
pain, spine.
These groups of physicians trying to get together
to help keep their
key players in house and to give the
patients other options to keep them within their
organization rather than referring them out. And a

(03:13):
lot of times, that's helpful by some of
the key people on the ground knowing of
what the patient needs. Like, when the patient
checks out,
they are able to help tell you in
your organization what patients are looking for because
not always
is it documented or is it in the
data analysis that we see. So we utilize
everybody in the company to kinda help gather
us

(03:33):
gather our thoughts and give give us a
give each of the patients a voice of
where what their needs really are.
And then finally,
many organizations are exploring new technologies,
partnerships, or care models to improve efficiency and
outcomes. So are there any innovations or initiatives
that you found particularly promising?
You know, a lot of the

(03:54):
a lot of the private practices are merging
with others or selling to private equity in
order to afford those costs of advanced technology,
advanced AI. I think we're gonna see some
more of that as people
want to
have those AI tools, and they're probably gonna
be quite expensive for small private practices, but

(04:14):
everyone's gonna gear towards them. And I think
we'll also, though, still need that human touch,
that human component. And so there will be
a balance of that.
And is there anything else you'd like to
share that we didn't touch on today?
I think it's important for us to just
kinda
take a step back and see where health
care is going. We see a lot of
advancement in AI and technology

(04:35):
that's helping the health care system.
But we're also seeing people move, patients in
particular,
wanting that concierge
type of model and willing to pay cash
for it.
And so we we can't forget that human
touch when we also talk about the AI
component. I think, eventually, we'll have a good
merge

(04:55):
and, a balanced approach to health care. So
I think it's a positive future outlook.
Absolutely. Well, doctor Engle, thank you so much
for joining me today on the Becker's Healthcare
Podcast and sharing these insights. Again, we are
recording live at the twenty second annual Spine
Orthopedic and Pain Management
Conference.
Great. Thank you for having me.