Over the course of the last 2 years, Dr. Douglas Krebs has successfully complete course work to obtain the post-graduate certification as a Primary Spine Practitioner through the University of Pittsburgh.
What is a Primary Spine Practitioner (PSP)?
Spine Care in the US has been mired in a crisis of rapidly rising costs with rapidly declining outcomes for patients. Recent research has found that the spine care that most patients receive is inefficient, ineffective, and extremely expensive. There is an urgent need for innovative solutions to this crisis. One such solution is the implementation of primary spine care - defined as first-line management, care coordination, and follow-up of patients with any spine-related disorder (SRD), under the direction of a certified Primary Spine Practitioner (PSP).
The PSP functions as a primary-contact provider for patients with SRDs. This involves taking responsibility for managing most patients without the need for special tests or specialist referrals. It also involves identifying the minority of patients who do require further diagnostic evaluations (X-ray, MRI, CT, EMG) or specialized interventions (injections, surgery). Further, the PSP serves as an inter-professional care coordinator, referring patients for the appropriate test or specialty service, and following up after these referrals to continually guide the patient toward resolution of the SRD. To perform this role, the PSP requires a very specific and refined skill set.
PSPs are ideally suited for managing patients in the primary care setting or functioning as the front-line practitioner in an interdisciplinary spine program, managing most patients without the need for referral, and coordinating the care of those who require other services. However, primary spine care can also be provided in the private practice setting. The PSP maximizes efficiency by ensuring that specialists and surgeons only see patients who are most appropriate for their skill set. This also maximizes clinical outcomes at minimal cost by ensuring that effective conservative management always remains at the front line and that patients have a consistent “go-to” professional who can monitor and facilitate their progress towards recovery.
More information can be found at https://www.psp.pitt.edu/