For more than 20 years, Patrick M.J. Hutton, M.D., MBA, has been a member of the Florida Orthopaedic Society (FOS). Now its new president, he is looking forward to leading the organizations educational efforts in the state and participating in legislative and lobbying efforts.
“One of the issues that is very important to the Florida Orthopaedic Society is improving access to musculoskeletal care for patients in Florida, and I have made that one of my goals,” he explained. “I also plan to be involved in the healthcare reform that is coming on a national level; helping orthopaedic surgeons in the state deal with reform changes by finding the best ways to help them with practice management issues.”
As a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), which has a very close working relationship with FOS, Dr. Hutton is also involved in a program to improve culturally competent care. “Our goal is to make physicians aware of opportunities that are introduced through residency programs in the state to improve diversity in the orthopaedic profession, which in turn, improves care to our patients,” he said. In addition to providing information in a guidebook and CD-ROM, the Academy provides training seminars to residency programs, and the course will soon be available to orthopaedic surgeons online.
“We have a diverse patient population in Florida; instead of talking about a minority population, were actually talking about an emerging majority population,” he continued. “The Hispanic, African-Americans and Pacific Rim populations are increasing at a faster rate than the traditional white population in the state.”
According to Dr. Hutton, a persons cultural background may determine how they accept care. “If I say something to a person from Georgia, it may mean something different to someone in New York state, or Puerto Rico, or Mexico or Manila,” he explained. “We need to tailor our care; even if were providing the same care to all of our patients, it doesnt mean that were giving equally good care to everyone.”
Dr. Hutton also plans to participate in the Wounded Warriors Project, whose national headquarters is based in Jacksonville, Florida. “The Academy already has an Extremity War Injury Program, and we would like to tie that into the Wounded Warriors Project in order to help returning veterans adjust to civilian life once they are discharged from the military,” he said.
“There have been major strides made in war injuries researchinjuries that soldiers would not have survived in Vietnam, they can now survive,” he added. “Because of better body armor, we are seeing more extremity injuries. There are a lot of advances in what can be done in limb salvage procedures and prosthetics.”
A former flight surgeon in the Navy, Dr. Hutton graduated from St. Josephs University in Philadelphia and then attended New York Medical College. He served in the Navy from 1969 to 1995. “There have been a lot of changes in the field since I was an orthopaedic resident in 1978,” he said. “In 1974, arthroscopic surgery had just been introduced in the U.S. now it constitutes 70 percent of my operative practice. The changes in total joint procedures for hips, knees and shoulders have also advanced remarkably.”
As for the future, Dr. Hutton expects to see even major innovations in medical care, not only in orthopaedics, but across the board. “I think from a technical standpoint, well see advances in antibiotic care and genetically engineered drugs,” he said. “I believe that better biological materials will extend the lifespan of replacement joints, and I also think that well see a dramatic increase in the number of total joint procedures as baby boomers hit their 60s and 70s.”
One concern, however, is that there wont be enough orthopaedic surgeons in the state to meet this growing demand. “Were in a bad situation in Florida in that medical school graduates are leaving the state because there arent enough residency spots in orthopaedics to take them in,” he said. “Statistics show that 70 percent of physicians practice in the state where they did their residency. In Florida, were faced with an aging population and not enough residents, which will cause a real shifting of specialty care in orthopaedics.”
Dr. Hutton plans to work with future FOS presidents to create long-term plans to deal with this and many other issues. “The patient is our primary focus,” he said. “We will work together to provide better, more accessible care for our patients now and in the future.”
