Physician/Physician Assistant Teams Roundtable

Join Akhil Chhatre, MD of Johns Hopkins University, as he moderates a discussion with D. Scott Kreiner, MD of Barrow Brain and Spine in Phoenix; Scott Naftulin, DO of Northeast Rehab in Pennsylvania; and David Sibell, MD, formerly of Oregon Health & Science University, on forging fruitful collaborative partnerships with Advanced Practice Providers (APPs). These partnerships have helped them reduce burnout, shorten wait times, and improve patient satisfaction.

 If you want your practice to offer more comprehensive, timely, and accessible care, then bringing your APPs up to speed on a team-based approach to interventional pain medicine is vital to achieving:

 Improved Patient Outcomes

• Comprehensive care: APPs can spend more time with patients, gather detailed histories, and monitor chronic pain management plans, allowing physicians to focus on diagnosis and interventional procedures.
• Continuity of care: Strong partnerships ensure patients receive consistent messaging and follow-through on treatment plans.
• Better access: With APPs working closely alongside physicians, practices can offer more frequent appointments, reducing wait times and patient throughput.

Operational Efficiency

• Expanded capacity: With APPs managing routine visits and follow-ups, physicians can focus on high-acuity cases, procedural care, or new consults.
• Task delegation: Administrative and clinical tasks (e.g., medication refills, documentation, patient education) can be divided appropriately, maximizing productivity.

Professional Satisfaction & Reduced Burnout

• Supportive environment: Mutual respect and open communication build trust, reduce stress, and increase job satisfaction for both parties.
• Workload balance: Sharing responsibilities helps prevent burnout, which is especially important in chronic pain management due to the emotionally taxing nature of the specialty.

This roundtable is only available as part of the IPSIS APP Training for Work in Your Pain Practice. Are you an APP whose practice has just purchased this course? Please allow up to three working days for your access to be activated.

Moderator

Akhil Chhatre, MD
IPSIS Coding & Reimbursement Committee Chair Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland

Speakers

Molly Anderson, PA-C
Oregon Health & Science University Portland, Oregon

D. Scott Kreiner, MD
IPSIS Board: Member-At-Large Barrow Brain and Spine Phoenix, Arizona

Scott Naftulin, DO
IPSIS Board: Membership Committee Chair Northeast Rehab Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Jen Rozek, MSPA, PA-C
Oregon Health & Science University Portland, Oregon

Tricia Saunders, PA-C
Barrow Brain and Spine Phoenix, Arizona

David M. Sibell, MD
IPSIS Board: Education Division Chair Portland, Oregon

Amanda Yesvetz, PA-C
Northeast Rehab Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Materials presented in this activity have been made available by IPSIS for educational purposes only. We reserve all rights to such material.