Dr. Scott Sigman, host of “The Ortho Show” podcast, brought on Dr. Pete Edwards to discuss how he partnered with Prescribe FIT to help improve outcomes for his patients by focusing on root cause medicine, whole person health, and preventative weight loss.
Dr. Edwards is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist with 30 years of experience. He is in private practice at Orthopedic ONE in Columbus. He has also been the team physician for the Columbus Crew for over 25 years and is a co-owner of the team.
Traditionally, orthopedists dedicate a significant amount of time to treating various parts of their patients. “We take care of these individual, small issues within a person’s life: Knee pain, shoulder pain,” said Dr. Sigman. “But we oftentimes forget that the knee is connected to the body.”
Informed by a master’s in public health and preventative medicine from The Ohio State University, Dr. Edwards’ unique philosophy is one of addressing the root cause of his patients’ orthopedic issues and focusing on preventative measures to improve their health outcomes.
This approach includes everything from injections to corrective insoles to topical CBD. Ultimately, Dr. Edwards makes sure his patients are aware that addressing their weight can make a critical difference as well.
Excess weight can both create and exacerbate musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and can lead to worsened surgery outcomes and recovery. For these reasons, one of the top recommendations by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) is weight loss.
However, with little time or knowledge to offer counseling himself, Dr. Edwards previously had no weight loss solution for his patients. Now, he enlists the help of Prescribe FIT and our full-service remote patient monitoring (RPM) program.
By working with Prescribe FIT’s team, Dr. Edwards said he can help his patients lose weight with little impact to his practice.
“It’s a part of our practice that will help them figure out how to lose weight, and it’s been super successful. People love it.” Dr. Edwards said. ”We can introduce (the patient) to a team that has… a health coach, a proprietary app… and a digital scale that talks to their cell phone.”
Dr. Edwards noted that one of the most important aspects of the program is patients’ interactions with their health coach. “They get this weekly call with their health coach who becomes their friend and their mentor, and really is the personal side which is so important to help these people develop an individual, personalized product that can help them lose weight.”
The physician and the practice can also be reimbursed for partnering with Prescribe FIT, creating a new ancillary revenue stream.
Ultimately, Dr. Edwards is convinced that a preventative weight loss service makes “good sense” in medicine. And due to his patient’s remarkable motivation, he said that their average weight loss is a sustainable 6% of their body weight in four months.
“That’s maintainable. It’s a lifestyle change. It’s not just a weight loss program,” added Dr. Sigman. “It’s a way of changing how you decide to live your life.”
To listen to the full podcast, visit https://theorthoshow.com/. Learn more about Prescribe FIT as well at https://www.prescribefit.com/practices/.
About Prescribe FIT:
Prescribe FIT is a full-service remote patient monitoring and lifestyle health solution that extends orthopedic care beyond the office to transform patient life(styles). With a focus on root cause medicine and whole person health, we help patients make small lifestyle changes that lead to decreased weight, reduced pain, and improved mobility.
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