Hand and Upper Extremity Surgeon Dr. Alejandro Badia of Badia Hand to Shoulder Center Offers Advice and Options
The Best Advice for Treating Most Orthopedic Injuries: Avoid Hospital Emergency Rooms
For effective treatment of most orthopedic injuries: avoid hospital emergency rooms. That is the advice of renowned Florida orthopedic surgeon Alejandro Badia, MD, who says that finding a better alternative to the ER is especially important now that hospitals expect a surge of emergency patients potentially infected with the novel coronavirus – COVID-19. Amid headlines about overwhelmed emergency department staff responding to patients seeking COVID-19 testing, Dr. Badia is advising those who suspect bone fractures or ligament injuries — especially sprains, strains, and muscle pulls — to avoid hospitals altogether and contact single-specialty orthopedic centers.
“These centers not only provide higher-quality and lower-cost care for common bone and joint injuries, but they are also much safer options than hospital emergency waiting rooms filled with coughing and sneezing patients who may have infectious diseases, including coronavirus and influenza,” says Dr. Badia, a specialist in treating musculoskeletal disorders of the hand, wrist, and other upper extremities.
You can also schedule a telemedicine visit with one of our orthopedic physicians from the comfort of your home, especially if you have experienced symptoms within the past 14 days.
Now More Than Ever, Avoid Unnecessary Tests
“Too often, patients with musculoskeletal injuries and disorders are sent by their primary care physician — or go on their own — to a hospital emergency room where they wait for endless periods, are exposed to patients with infectious illnesses, and undergo a variety of unnecessary tests. Many of these same patients are ultimately referred to an orthopedic specialist for treatment,” says Dr. Badia. An orthopedic specialist can diagnose a musculoskeletal problem much more quickly than an emergency physician or general practitioner, with superior clinical resolution at a significantly lower cost, using fewer tests and imaging studies, says Dr. Badia.
Evidence Supports His Comments
A recent report from Deloitte, one of the world’s largest accounting firms, indicates that “markets with a higher concentration of urgent care centers have lower rates of emergency room visits,” which aligns with the Affordable Care Act’s goal of reducing “inappropriate utilization of emergency rooms.” A 2019 Becker’s Hospital Review publication notes that emergency room charges increased an average of 135 percent between 2008 and 2017. The emergence of COVID-19 is only the latest setback for hospital emergency departments, many of which have long struggled with inefficient processes for treating and moving patients through the system, along with the growing reliance of primary care physicians on emergency rooms as referral sources for their patients.
Growing Concern Over Omissions and Misdiagnoses
However, for Dr. Badia, omissions and misdiagnoses are even more concerning, particularly when it comes to musculoskeletal conditions. Fractures in children are of particular concern to Dr. Badia. A study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that splints were improperly applied in 93% of suspected pediatric fractures treated in emergency rooms and/or general urgent care centers. A study presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons determined that a “significant number” of orthopedic conditions seen at some Level I trauma centers are “misdiagnosed and ineffectively managed, with 78% of adult orthopedic consults being inaccurate,” according to the study authors. Dr. Badia also cites a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedics showing that postoperative infection rates tend to be significantly lower in single-specialty orthopedic centers than in multi-specialty facilities. Lower surgical site infection rates are an indicator of higher-quality care. Of the 136.3 million emergency room visits estimated annually in the United States, 40.2 million are for injury treatment, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. The National Center for Health Statistics attributes at least 5.6 million of these annual injuries to children and young adults participating in sports.
“Most sports-related injuries involving joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are treated more effectively and efficiently by single-specialty orthopedic centers of excellence than by emergency medicine physicians in hospital emergency rooms,” says Dr. Badia, founder and medical director of Badia Hand to Shoulder Center and OrthoNOW®. OrthoNOW® is an immediate orthopedic care clinic.
Of course, more severe, potentially life-threatening or limb-threatening injuries may require hospital care. Dr. Badia offers these guidelines to help patients make informed care decisions: Contact an orthopedic clinic for sprains, muscle and tendon strains, ligament tears, joint pain, joint dysfunction, and most bone fractures, including closed, displaced, and non-displaced fractures. Go to the emergency room for traumatic head and brain injuries, facial trauma, open fractures (bone protruding through the skin), neurovascular injuries, nerve trauma, and excessive bleeding.
About Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS
Dr. Badia is an internationally renowned hand surgeon and upper extremity specialist, and founder of Badia Hand to Shoulder Center and OrthoNOW®, a walk-in orthopedic care clinic. He is a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the American Association for Hand Surgery, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and an honorary member of numerous international hand societies. Dr. Badia specializes in treating all hand and upper extremity conditions, including trauma, sports injuries, joint reconstruction, nerve injuries, and arthroscopic surgery.
