Imagine this. You're at the Hyatt Regency Chicago surrounded by the top minds in the ambulatory surgery center industry. Welcome to the Becker's 30th annual meeting, the business and operations of ASCs from October 30th to November second, 2024. Picture the excitement as you collect business cards from over a 1000 executive level attendees forging priceless connections. Feel the buzz of conversations as you participate in more than 60 sessions led by over 225 elite ASC speakers. Envision yourself gaining actionable insights on topics like private equity strategies, ASC business growth, and innovations in spine, orthopedics, GI, ophthalmology, and cardiology. Now imagine yourself listening to inspiring keynotes from Hall of Fame boxing world champion, Lila Ali, and professional basketball player, Caitlin Clark. Their stories will motivate you to take your business to new heights. You'll leave with a wealth of knowledge and a network of connections to help lead your ASC into the next year. Don't miss out. Get registered today. Visit beckershospitalreviewdot com and click on the events page to find the conference website. That's the beckershospitalreview.com events page. See you in Chicago. Welcome back to the Becker's Healthcare podcast. I'm Molly Gamble, Beckers. And today, I'm sitting down with doctor Yash Navigand, chief medical officer at National Spine and Pain Centers. Thank you so much for joining me today, Yash. To get us started, can you share with our listeners more about yourself and tell us a bit more about your organization? Yeah. Certainly. So as you mentioned, I am the chief medical officer at National Spine and Pain Centers, which actually is the largest network of pain management specialists in the United States. We've got a comprehensive approach that covers everything from nonsurgical pain management options to the most advanced minimally invasive spine surgery techniques. And at SPC, our philosophy is actually very simple. We strive to get to the root of our patient's pain using the most effective cutting edge treatments that are available while avoiding the long term risks of opioid dependency. So whether it's spinal cord stimulation, regenerative medicines, state of the art, surgical minimally invasive techniques, we focus on individualized care and leads to lasting and lasting relief, with improved quality of life. We're also very unique in how we leverage our collaborations with other specialties from neurology, physical therapy, spine surgery, neurosurgery. We try to maintain as much of a holistic approach to pain care as possible. And I think this multidisciplinary approach is really the cornerstone of our success. Mhmm. Lish, thank you so much. I I imagine that as the largest network of pain management specialists in the US, that's quite a claim and quite a title. I imagine that you are also in that role keeping an eye on some pretty big developments in the field. You just touched on a number of, especially these efforts to reduce opioid dependency. What trends are you watching currently? What what trends are on your radar, and how are they shaping the way you approach your work as CMO? Well, I'm actually glad you asked that question because, we're knee deep in, in in so many new trends, that are popping up, particularly as they revolve around technology. Right now, the most exciting trend that we're following is the increase in the use of artificial intelligence in the pain management and spine care space. So AI is actually the potential to transform how we approach these diagnostic and treatment plans that we have for our patients. For instance, when we analyze vast amounts of clinical data, we can predict with remarkable accuracy how a patient's actually going to respond to a specific treatment. As you well know, in the pain management space, a lot of it has always relied on sort of subjective, patient complaints. But now we can apply some objective analytics to this and really start to personalize the care like it was never able to be done in the past. So when we integrate data analytics into the practice, we can actually use real time information from the health record. And this allows us to create evidence based treatment decisions essentially on the fly. And then the treatment options that we provide these patients, actually can show fruitful results, particularly when it comes to the, the ASC space. When we look at technologies that we're currently using, such as minimally invasive neuromodulation, they're becoming so advanced now that the products themselves are actually incorporating AI driven algorithms that automatically adjust programming and things like that, to offer patients less manual adjustments. But even beyond that, sophisticated image guidance, we're seeing navigation systems that can play out in the ambulatory surgery space like we've never seen before. And AI assisted surgical systems that include navigation really provide an unparalleled amount of precision during the procedures that we do in our ambulatory surgery center. And lastly, the wildest things like genetics and biomarker data. By combining this biomarker data with the insights that we achieve with AI, we're rapidly moving towards these treatments that are very specific and designed for a patient's unique biology, increasing the efficiency and also reducing the likelihood that there'll be treatment failures in these patients. That is remarkable. And I'm just listening to you. I'm recalling the idea of pain is the 5th vital sign and the difficulty at times of estimating or forecasting one's tolerance for pain. I'm also thinking, Yash, about some of the commentary in relation to opioids that some pain is normal and to be tolerated. I mean, this is a complex conversation that's been going on for years. So then to now hear about the ways in which AI is informing some of these treatment decisions or these evidence based treatment plans. It's it's just really remarkable. It seems very forward looking. How has this been received in the broader pain community? Can you talk about that a little bit? Yeah. So when we look at the broader pain community, what we have seen is is that, there's been a hunger almost starving for this type of, of input. And again, the problem with data is it's just that, it's data. It's the analytics behind it and then the predictive nature of those analytics that really drives our industry forward. And so the use of AI is now able to take this genetic information, this, health record information, data points, things like that, and sort of bring it together and shape it into some personalized treatment options for individuals. I think it's fantastic for the providers. I think it's even more fantastic for our patients because now there's not, hey, we're going to try this and see what happens, but rather we're going to try this and there's a high likelihood it's going to work. That's fascinating to hear. And and to understand too how those trends are already influencing things today, that's where my next question comes in. Yes. You know, shifting gears just a little bit. When you look at your own goals and the direction the organization's heading, what are you most focused on and excited about in in the year ahead? Can you point to some particular things? Yeah. You know, over the over the past year or so, one of the things I'm actually most proud about is our organization stewardship that we've demonstrated and balancing all the good things, that technology can bring against all the bad things that technology can also, bring in terms of patient privacy and those types of things. And I think what we've done is we've rolled out a proactive policy within the organization that allows us to sort of roll out the AI driven platforms, that are gonna help our physicians help predict patient outcomes and also personalized treatment options for our patients and in some instances even in real time. But what really, really excites me is is the ability to use these, technologies as well as the data analytics to really drive that personalized medicine and take it to the next level. Mhmm. Mhmm. Well, it sounds like you're already making strides in National Spine and Pain Centers and accomplishing some pretty remarkable things, especially given your footprint and your position as as the largest network of pain management specialists in the country. But, Yash, I wanted to wind down our conversation today by thinking about our listeners who, like you, are also working their way up or adapting to the changes around them. Do you have any closing advice you'd like to share with our listeners, those who are evolving or emerging leaders trying to make their mark in the industry? Yeah. Actually, for leaders who do wanna evolve in this health care space, my first piece of advice is embrace the technology. We're at a point now where whether it's AI, robotics, image guided navigation systems, data analytics, these are all fundamentally reshaping how we deliver care. I think another point is to maintain a relentless focus on patient outcomes. The reason we adopt these technologies is to provide better care for our patients And that should always remain at the heart of what we do. It's easy to get caught up in excitement from new tools, but the real metric of success is going to be how these tools improve the outcomes in the long term. Flexibility and adaptability are also very critical because the healthcare landscape is evolving so rapidly and leaders have to be able to pivot quickly in response to the emerging trends and challenges. But lastly, as the technology continues to advance, we've got to maintain a strong ethical standard. Leaders do have to ensure that the use of any innovation is always aligned with safety, privacy, and the well-being of our patients. So listeners embrace the technology, maintain that relentless focus on patient outcomes, and then also maintain those strong ethical standards. I think yes to that last point you made, the advancements in technology almost renew the importance of strong leadership. Leaders really have an opportunity in front of them to stand out even more than maybe they once would have, amid how they lead with these tech advancements occurring and unfolding in their organizations. Most certainly. Most certainly. Doctor Yash Navigand is CMO of National Spine and Pain Centers. Yash, I just wanna thank you again for joining me today for getting myself and our listeners up to speed on some of these remarkable advancements, especially in the intersection of AI and pain management. I hope we can catch up again soon just to see what else is unfolding within your organization. It sounds like you are really pursuing some important changes for patient care and also for the provider community. I look forward to it, Molly. Thank you.