Jeffrey Kobs, M.D., a partner and practicing orthopedic surgeon with Raleigh Orthopaedic for the past 24 years, is the new medical director for the workers compensation program at the clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Jeffrey Kobs, M.D.—New Medical Director at Raleigh Orthopaedic
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In his new role, he will work with employers, insurance carriers, adjusters and case managers, to create a seamless process and to ensure the highest quality of care for the injured worker.
“Dr. Kobs is a proven leader and brings a wealth of clinical experience to the worker compensation program,” said clinic President David Boone, M.D. in the January 31, 2017 news release. “He will be a great asset to ensure injured workers get the care they need to get them back to work as safely and quickly as possible.”
As indicated in the news release, “Prior to joining Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic in 1993, Dr. Kobs attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his undergraduate and medical degree, and then he completed his surgical internship and orthopaedic residency at the University of North Carolina Hospitals. While in practice, Dr. Kobs specialized in sports medicine and treated orthopaedic conditions related to sports activity and shoulder & knee injuries of any type.”
“In addition, he has served as clinical instructor in Orthopaedic surgery, and wrote several articles in trade publications and published research in papers as varied as Neuroscience Abstracts and Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Dr. Kobs is a long time member and former president (2008-2014) of COAN [Cooperación Ortopédica Americano Nicargüense], a non-profit orthopaedic organization whose mission is to improve orthopaedic surgery in the Nation of Nicaragua.”
Dr. Kobs told OTW, “I am excited for the new opportunity to improve the workers comp process to provide better care for our patients. I will begin with evaluating the program to optimize systems that are working well and change systems that are not. I am educating our physicians and staff to give them a better understanding of the workers comp process and expectations. This will ensure that the injured worker will get back to work quickly and safely. I will also be working with employers, case managers, adjusters and other healthcare professionals to open the lines of communication to ensure the referral process is seamless with the ultimate goal is to provide the highest quality, cost effective care available.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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