Bringing healthcare into the Jetsons age, virtual consultations returned veterinarian to show horses after hip replacement surgery
Dr. Wayne Browning, 61, owner of Bayhill Equine in Redwood City, California
Less than three weeks after hip replacement with world-renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Berger, veterinarian Wayne Browning returned to treating his own patients — 1,300-pound show horses. Telehealth appointments allowed Dr. Browning to have surgery with a faster recovery time than what was available in his area—getting him back on his feet and to his horses in a shorter time.
He only traveled from California to Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago for the actual surgery. The other consultations were via telehealth — Berger's Elective Surgical + Telemedicine (BEST) Experience.
"We have good surgeons here in the Bay Area," said Dr. Browning, 61, owner of Bayhill Equine in Redwood City, Calif. "But they were giving me a six-week timeframe for recovery. The telehealth aspect was a welcome bonus."
With Dr. Berger's anterior, muscle-preserving, minimally invasive approach, patients experience less pain, faster recovery, and better long-term prognosis without the additional worry of hip dislocation. Now, patients have Dr. Berger's expertise at their fingertips.
"The difference between a six-week and three-week recovery was huge for me. I have a very busy veterinary practice that involves a lot of bending over and lifting horses' legs. I needed to be fully back from a physical standpoint."
Dr. Wayne Browning, 61, owner of Bayhill Equine in Redwood City, California
With the BEST Experience, patients and their caregivers can choose virtual pre- and post-surgical appointments along with virtual educational classes, eliminating the time, inconvenience, and expense of traveling to Dr. Berger's office. "More than half of my patients are an extremely long car ride or a plane flight away from Chicago," says Dr. Berger.
Although the BEST Experience officially debuted in 2022, Dr. Berger and his team started doing telehealth consultations and post-op visits before the pandemic. Then accelerated and perfected the process over the past few years.
"We are The Jetsons now. You can talk to our practice from the privacy of your own home, from the first consultation through your recovery follow-up visit," Dr. Berger said.
The BEST Experience gives patients broad options of what they feel most comfortable with. "Some patients want to see me in person; others are comfortable with technology and don't want to travel for a consultation," Dr. Berger said. "They know they need a hip replacement, and, except for the actual surgery, they want to do the rest virtually. While others want a hybrid approach."
"It's better to have surgery earlier than later," Dr. Berger said. "Dr. Browning was right on top of it. As soon as the pain began impacting his life, he tried the simpler things – physical therapy and anti-inflammatories. When those didn't work, he said, 'Let me get surgery and take my life back.'"
Dr. Browning left the hospital a few hours after surgery and was back home in two days. Seeing a few horses two-and-a-half weeks following surgery and was back full-time at three weeks. "The pain was significantly less the moment I woke up from surgery," he said.
"The experience was overall exemplary," Dr. Browning said. "It is definitely a concierge service."
For more information call 312-432-2557 or Scan to make an appointment.
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