Integrating Cash Pay Options with Sports Medicine for Enhanced Care Accessible and Preventative Sports Medicine

In this feature with Healthcare Business Review, Scott Kleppe, Medical Director of Sports Medicine at Driscoll Children's Hospital, discusses his approach to providing affordable, patient-centered healthcare and the importance of community outreach and sports injury prevention in advancing the field of sports medicine.

Are there any particular topics you have in mind that you would like to share or draw special focus on your role in the industry? 

I am Scott Kleppe, DO, a board-certified pediatrician with fellowship training and certification in primary care sports medicine. Currently, I serve as the medical director of the pediatric sports medicine program at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, where I focus on community outreach and sports injury prevention and management. My medical education began at the University of North Texas Health Science Center – Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. I am confident that by assembling the right team and implementing effective programs, realizing affordable, patient-centered healthcare of the highest quality is an attainable goal.

Sports medicine is a rapidly expanding specialty, driven by the growing emphasis on healthy lifestyles and the increasing interest in living longer, more active lives. An abundance of evidence shows that better lifestyle choices, including increased activity levels and healthier diets, are closely related to the prevention or mitigation of chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Exercise has also been shown to decrease anxiety and improve overall mental well-being.

What specific approaches or processes do you apply to maintain a leadership position and competitive edge in the sports medicine industry?

Our sports medicine programs have significant connections within our communities, allowing us to collaborate with school districts and other local organizations to provide access to programs dedicated to athlete health. These initiatives include injury prevention, training for emergency situations, and facilitating timely care for injuries. These aspects of our sports medicine programs align with the national focus on value-based care programs. As the discussion of “value” continues to grow in the healthcare space, there is also a growing focus on sports injury prevention, efficient injury management, and reasonable cost of care.

What according to you are some of the challenges in the industry?

Numerous hurdles in the current healthcare system make it challenging for patients to receive quality, timely, and reasonably priced care. In the traditional medical insurance model, patients may be restricted in who they can see or what types of care they can receive. The current model is also heavily reactive to health issues instead of proactive and is often fraught with price obscurity and billing complexities. Unfortunately, these barriers can make it difficult for individuals to be proactive about their health and wellness due to cost and access issues. For these reasons, there has been growing interest and attention towards value-based models as a solution to offset the staggering and ever-rising cost of healthcare.

Our sports medicine programs are increasingly exploring avenues to offer patients cash-pay options, providing autonomy and empowerment that afford them greater control over their healthcare decisions while enhancing accessibility to services. The rise in cash-pay options is not exclusive to sports medicine, but given our focus on injury prevention, accessible and timely care, and safe yet expedited return to activity, we are well-positioned to provide these services. Some of the current areas of focus include knee/ACL injury prevention programs, timely and efficient concussion management, and sports performance courses to reduce overuse injuries such as Little Leaguer’s Elbow.

It is also an increasing trend for surgery centers to offer cash-pay, transparent pricing for surgeries or other procedures, reducing administrative burdens and enabling patients to receive timely care. The term "value" in healthcare lacks a clear definition, yet if patients possess greater control over their access to care, have access to programs aimed at injury prevention or severity reduction, and benefit from transparent cost structures spanning from preventative measures to surgical interventions, then surely this represents a promising starting point.