Neal D. Shore, MD, discussed his article on “Preserving Independent Urology: LUGPA’s First Decade” for the Grand Rounds in Urology audience in December 2019.
How to cite: Shore, Neal D. “Preserving Independent Urology: LUGPA’s First Decade” December, 2019. Accessed Dec 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/preserving-independent-urology-lugpas-first-decade/
Preserving Independent Urology: LUGPA’s First Decade – Summary:
Neal D. Shore, MD and E. David Crawford, MD, discuss Dr. Shore’s recent MedReview article (excerpted and linked below) on the ways in which the Large Urology Group Practice Association, or LUGPA, has advocated on behalf of community urology physicians and patients over the last ten years. Dr. Shore discusses how the organization has fought for legislative change to improve patient access to physicians of their choice, worked to ensure the availability of the latest in imaging and diagnostic technology for community urologists, and, in the face of increased consolidation of the healthcare industry, promoted value-based healthcare above volume-based healthcare, concluding in the article that:
Eleven years after LUGPA’s inception, its passion and commitment to protecting and preserving the independent practice of urology remain stronger than ever. Without LUGPA, there would be far fewer opportunities for independent urology practices, fair-balanced education, networking, or external benchmarking than we have today. LUGPA groups have been able to integrate essential urologic services at a lower cost than their hospital competitors. Many of our member practices have become urologic centers of excellence with subspecialty lines of service and innovative, cost-effective pathways that optimize patient outcomes.
Innovation springs from independence, not bureaucracy. Independent practitioners have the freedom and flexibility to share decision-making with their patients and to rapidly implement, test, and adapt new diagnostics, therapeutics, and pathways. Backed by a robust organization such as LUGPA, independent urologists can implement innovative approaches that significantly improve the health of their patients and the sustainability of their practices. Such nimbleness is especially crucial given the current rapid pace of change in urology. Aligning the interests of patients, providers, and payers by promoting value-based care at independent, integrated physician practices is LUGPA’s ongoing mission; our rallying cry should be to continue that mission in an open, transparent, and inclusive fashion.1
A PDF of the full article discussed in this interview can be accessed here.1
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1 Used with permission from MedReviews / Reviews in Urology, which holds the copyright to the original article.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neal D. Shore, MD, FACS, graduated from Duke University and Duke University Medical School. He completed his general surgery/urology residency at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center/Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He serves as the Medical Director for the Carolina Urologic Research Center and is the Chief Medical Officer, Strategic Growth and Pharmacy, GenesisCare, US.
Dr. Shore has conducted more than 400 clinical trials, focusing mainly on genitourinary oncology, and has authored or coauthored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and numerous book chapters. He serves on the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Guidelines Committee for Bladder Cancer, as well as the boards of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, Maple Tree Alliance, and the Duke Global Health Institute. He is the Chair of both the Prostate Cancer Academy and the Bladder/Kidney Cancer Academy for the Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA) Specialty Network. He also co-chairs the annual AUA International Prostate Forum. He has served/serves on the editorial boards of Reviews in Urology, Urology Times, Chemotherapy Advisor, OncLive, PLOS ONE, Urology Practice, JUOP and World Journal of Urology, and he also serves as an editor of Everyday Urology-Oncology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
