An aging US population brings unique challenges to urologists and the urology workforce in general. As the average age of the population increases, this means that the frequency of urologic diseases and need for urology-related treatments also increases, and it is having an effect on the industry in general as demand increases. These demographic changes in the United States are in turn changing the demands on the urology workforce, creating a need by professionals to have the latest data, research, education, and advocacy for a changing industry.

With the findings published in the American Urology Association’s 2020 census, along with comparisons with their previous publications, we can form a clear picture of what the urology workforce and industry has been through in the past, what it is currently dealing with as of the 2020 publication, and we can also infer educated predictions about the future to anticipate what urologists and urology professionals will need to prepare for in order to meet the growing demand for urology care.

Here is a summary of some of the key findings of the AUA’s 2020 census:

Whether you are an administrator, owner, or someone who is involved in some way with the running of a medical practice, you are likely going to already know about both asset-light and asset-heavy medical practice designs.

If you are, however, unfamiliar with these terms, then knowing the difference between them can be extremely helpful in weighing up how to design a medical practice and where capital should be allocated.

An asset-heavy medical practice is one with a large amount of capital invested in equipment, the property and building where the practice is located, employees (with a large number of full-time employees), and essentially owns a wide range of assets that allow it to perform as many functions as possible.

An asset-light medical practice on the other hand is one that owns fewer fixed assets, with a minimized quantity of full-time employees that focuses more on using outsourcing vendors to provide patients with a full range of medical and diagnostic treatments.

Urodynamic testing has the potential to provide health care professionals with much more detailed information on the health of their patient’s bladders, urethras, and their body’s ability to store and flush urine. Urodynamics, especially when used in rural health clinics, allows health care professionals to more accurately diagnose causes of urinary incontinence and other issues relating to the bladder and lower urinary system, making it a key service that needs to be integrated into RHC practices.

What Is Urodynamics?

Urodynamics along with urodynamic testing, in its simplest form, is the assessment of how the bladder, urethra, and associated sphincters do their job for storing and releasing urine from the body.

On January 20th of this year, Joe Biden was sworn in as the United States of America’s 46th president. Like any new leader of a country, this change in the White House meant many different things for various people, businesses, and entire industries.

The new administration is a tremendous shift from the previous one, changing the nation’s landscape across the board.

No more are these changes evident than in healthcare. Biden and his administration’s approach - even at first glance - is a totally different beast than former President Trump’s. With that said, how will this impact private practices across the US?

This blog will explore the above question and then delve into urology practices, specifically.

Urodynamics (UDS) is a relatively safe office procedure; however, as with any invasive procedure or test, there are risks associated with performing UDS. A few simple steps can help avoid complications in the majority of patients. Most of the complications associated with UDS are related to urinary tract infections (UTI) and the majority of this blog will focus on that. Additional complications include pain, patient anxiety and injury from catheter placement.

UTI is the most common serious complication of UDS testing, though the frequency of this is difficult to quantify.¹ There are excellent guidelines on this from the University of Michigan¹ and the American Urologic Association (AUA) also offers guidance for the prevention of UTI’s associated with UDS.²

Providing an effective field service is one of the key responsibilities of medical device companies.

Traditionally, field service agents have been technical support staff with little to no background in medical sciences. Today, however, there is an increasing trend toward incorporating nursing staff, particularly nurse educators, in medical device field service.

Any industry thrives on customer satisfaction, and this applies equally to medical device companies. For medical device companies, customers are typically healthcare professionals who are fully satisfied only when they are able to use a device correctly and to its maximum efficacy, and can summon support to troubleshoot problems as soon as they crop up. Hence, the need for a reliable and readily available field service that can handle problems related to medical devices quickly.

What is expected from a traditional field service?

Field service is required after the sale of medical devices and field staff from the medical device company visit customer premises—usually a hospital or clinic—for this purpose. The general expectations from a field service are:

UDS is a critical procedure in the practice of urology and the management of voiding dysfunction in men and women. All urologists receive exposure to UDS testing during residency training. In the United States, residents are required to perform and interpret 10 UDS studies in order to graduate from residency. In addition, some residents choose to undertake fellowship training in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS), where substantial exposure to UDS is had. UDS testing certainly is utilized in significantly more patients and a part of care for many other patients encounter during training; however, as with many other skills, there will be a wide range of exposure during training and quality will certainly vary between programs.

If you ended up on this blog post, you are probably thinking about buying urodynamic equipment or are evaluating purchasing options. If you are, I am going to lay out an argument for not buying it.  As with purchasing any medical equipment, there are many hidden pitfalls. I want to lay out some of these pitfalls and detail an alternative to buying urodynamics equipment.

There’s no real love for waiting rooms. Call it the perpetual suspense, the white-coat syndrome lingers behind all modern chic designs. It’s time for practices to generate a greater practicality and explore deeper into human psychology behind waiting room worry.

I am the CEO of a service provider that provides diagnostic testing services to over 300 medical practices across the country. Our clientele ranges from the sole practitioner to extensive multi-specialty practices, to everything in-between. I am also the former Chief Marketing Officer for a top digital marketing agency in Chicago.

My staff and I are continually researching customers and prospects; therefore we are regularly reviewing medical practice websites. Through our work and research, we have made a few notes on where medical practices make mistakes with their sites. Below are a few of the most significant mistakes we typically see.