Amy M. Cannatta, DC, will present, “Creating Successful Interdisciplinary Integration and Collaboration for Practice Growth” at Engage 2022. She is a clinical consulting physician for a group of 25 board-certified orthopedic and neurological surgeons in a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Arizona. Prior to this, Dr. Cannatta developed her own practice in Connecticut and was a team chiropractor for the WNBA Connecticut Sun women’s basketball team. She also treated NCAA Division 1 athletes for numerous types of spine and joint-related injuries. Today, in addition to her work with the FQHC, she teaches board-certified continuing education courses for both chiropractors and chiropractic assistants in the state of Arizona. In this ACA Blogs Q&A, Dr. Cannatta shares her thoughts on why and how better working relationships with other providers can benefit both patient care and practice growth.
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How is the topic you are presenting at Engage 2022 relevant to today’s chiropractor?
Dr. Cannatta: Our current healthcare system is made up of specialists, where patients bounce from doctor to doctor to figure out their conditions. Today’s chiropractor is poised to help defragment the care and treatment of neuromusculoskeletal conditions and become the go-to experts that we know we are. Doctors of chiropractic working with medical doctors either in a collaborative way or as part of an integrated practice provides a better patient experience and a more efficient method of healthcare delivery. In turn, this benefits today’s chiropractor through practice building.
Can you share an anecdote from your own career to demonstrate how greater understanding of your topic can make a difference for patient care and/or professional success?
Dr. Cannatta: In my current role, I see patients presenting with lumbar radiculopathy being advised they need to have lumbar fusion, for example. When asked if they are having fusion to correct lumbar instability, often they don’t know nor have they had the proper imaging to diagnose the potential instability. After ordering imaging and receiving results that show no sign of instability, these patients often do well with minimally invasive laminectomy or microdiscectomy and can avoid the fusion surgery. Being able to educate patients about this gives them options to make different decisions for their own health. In turn, as healthcare providers, we can point patients toward a second opinion.
What practical knowledge can attendees take away from your presentation and start using immediately in their practices?
Dr. Cannatta: They will take away practical tips to help them collaborate more successfully and attract more referrals from the medical community.
Engage 2022 offers an unmatched education program, featuring 19 virtual and in-person sessions that offer high-quality, innovative presentations. Up to 21 CE credits are also available through several programs. Learn more and register here.
