Alaa Abd-Elsayed, Medical Director, UW Health Pain Services

Summary

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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Summary

Guest: Dr. Alaa Abd-Elsayed, Medical Director, UW Health Pain Services
Host: Becker’s Healthcare
Conference: 22nd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management Driven ASC and Future of Spine Conference
Release Date: August 24, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode features Dr. Alaa Abd-Elsayed (“Dr. Al”), Medical Director of Pain Services at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Health. Recorded live at the 22nd annual ASC and Spine conference, Dr. Al discusses major industry trends in pain management, strategies for addressing workforce shortages, the pivotal role of outpatient care, promising innovations in procedural pain services, and the importance of financial communication with patients. The episode is rich in actionable insights for healthcare leaders navigating today’s shifting landscape.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to Dr. Al and His Role

[00:54–01:23]

• Dr. Al leads pain services across UW Health, including inpatient and outpatient care.
• He oversees a “very large academic chronic pain program and training programs,” emphasizing the scale and influence of their system-wide approach.

2. Pressing Industry Trends

[01:23–02:00]

• Top concerns:
  • Reimbursement challenges: Difficulty sustaining practices and patient care without adequate reimbursement.

    “Most importantly I think the reimbursement challenges…because without the appropriate reimbursement it's hard to maintain practice, hard to care of patients.” — Dr. Al [01:36]

  • Insurance denials: Direct impact on patients’ ability to access necessary care.

3. Tackling Workforce Shortages

[02:00–02:55]

• The shortage affects every staffing level (“physician, nurses, support staff, medical assistants”).
• Challenges are nationwide, with local solutions potentially creating shortages elsewhere.
• Essential strategies:
  • Retention and recruitment policies
  • Promoting work-life balance
  • Financial incentives
  • Fostering a “friendly, safe work environment” for career growth

    “At the organizational level we need to have good retention policies, good recruitment policies, good work, balance lifestyle…” — Dr. Al [02:23]

4. Growth and Role of Outpatient Care

[02:55–03:43]

• Rapid expansion driven by technological advances and minimally invasive procedures.
• Key benefits:
  • Lower costs
  • Reduced hospital admissions and associated risks
  • Faster recovery in patient’s own home

    “Outpatient is a main focus now…It's lower cost, better care…patient now less likely to get admitted…with the risk of DVTs and hospital acquired infections…” — Dr. Al [03:09]

5. Innovations and Promising Initiatives

[03:43–04:34]

• Emphasis on preoperative patient care and preparation for surgery.
• Use of new long-acting local anesthetics.
• Minimally invasive and robotic-assisted procedures, leading to:
  • Smaller incisions
  • Less pain
  • Faster recovery, discharge, and return to productivity

    “Advancement of minimally invasive procedures…no big incisions, work done nicely and clean … patient have less pain, less incisions to care for and potentially like quick discharge and back to activity.” — Dr. Al [04:06]

6. Financial Communication for Trust and Loyalty

[04:34–05:37]

• Financial strength means more than just reimbursement or expense; it includes entire care cycles and productivity.
• Outpatient surgeries enable quicker returns to work, benefitting patients, the community, and the country.
• True cost-effectiveness should be measured beyond one-time payments, considering all downstream effects.

  “If I can get the patient to do the procedure and go home at the same day…they will be more productive in the community…This is financially important for the patient, for the community, for the whole country…” — Dr. Al [04:47]

7. Final Thoughts and Conference Reflections

[05:37–06:16]

• Dr. Al’s first time at the Becker’s Conference; praises it as a “great place to connect and learn.”
• Encourages leaders to not only attend for knowledge but for shared experiences and camaraderie in facing ongoing industry challenges.

  “I encourage everybody to visit next year…not only to visit for the sake of learning, but also sharing experiences, hanging out together to learn from each other and hopefully face all the challenges…” — Dr. Al [05:53]

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Memorable Quotes

• “There is a lot to pay attention to. But most importantly I think the reimbursement challenges…because without the appropriate reimbursement it's hard to maintain practice.” — Dr. Al [01:36]
• “There is shortage of workforce at all levels…The strategy is very challenging because there is national shortage…” — Dr. Al [02:12]
• “Outpatient is a main focus now of healthcare systems for many reasons. Number one is there are advancement in technology and procedures.” — Dr. Al [03:05]
• “If I can get the patient to do the procedure and go home at the same day, they will be more productive in the community.” — Dr. Al [04:47]
• “Great place to connect and learn from others. I encourage everybody to visit next year…” — Dr. Al [05:53]

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:54] — Introduction to Dr. Al and UW Health Pain Services
• [01:23] — Industry trends: reimbursement and insurance denials
• [02:11] — Approaches to workforce shortages and retention
• [03:05] — The evolving role of outpatient pain services
• [03:55] — Innovations: Pre-op care, anesthetics, minimally invasive procedures
• [04:43] — Financial communication and measuring value in care
• [05:46] — Dr. Al’s closing advice and reflections on Becker’s Conference

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Summary Takeaway

Dr. Al offers a candid, strategic perspective on the urgent issues facing pain services and healthcare delivery today. His focus on holistic care, innovation, and communication—paired with practical advice for workforce and financial challenges—provides actionable guidance for industry leaders eager to strengthen patient care and organizational resilience.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

And welcome to the Beckers Healthcare Podcast, recorded live at the 22nd annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management Driven ASC and Future of Spine Conference. I'm joined today by Dr. Al Abd Zayed, Medical Director at UW health pain services. Dr. Al, thank you so much for joining us today.

[C]

Well, thank you for having me.

[B]

Can you start us off by sharing a little bit about yourself, your role in your organization?

[C]

So my name is Allah Abdel Said. I go by Dr. Al and I'm the medical Director of Pain Services at the University of Wisconsin, which include inpatient pain, outpatient pain. We have a very large academic chronic pain program, training programs, so I get the privilege of overseeing the pain practices all across CW health system.

[B]

So what trends or shifts are you currently seeing right now in the industry that you are thinking are most important for industry leaders to be paying attention to?

[C]

I don't know where to start with this one. There is a lot to pay attention to. But most importantly I think the reimbursement challenges that comes to my mind like number one, because without the appropriate reimbursement it's hard to maintain practice, hard to care of patients. You know, come second to my mind is insurance denials which again prevent patients from getting some care they need to get. So these are probably two very important topics.

[B]

Mm mm. And staffing and workforce challenges continue to be a concern across healthcare. How is your organization navigating these pressures and what strategies are you currently seeing work?

[C]

Well, so very good point. Definitely there is shortage of workforce at all levels. Not only like physician, but we are finding shortage in nurses or support staff medical assistants and the strategy is very challenging because there is national shortage and basically systems try to maintain their own task force but I think that that creates shortage somewhere else. But I guess at the organizational level we need to have good retention policies, good recruitment policies, good work, balance lifestyle, good financial incentive for work and create a friendly, safe work environment to maintain people and have them grow in their careers without the need to leave.

[B]

So as outpatient care continues to grow, how do you see the role of patients pain services really kind of evolving within the broader healthcare ecosystem?

[C]

Outpatient is a main focus now of healthcare systems for many reasons. Number one is there are advancement in technology and procedures. We don't need to keep patients in hospitals, which is good. Again for many reasons. It's lower cost, better care because a patient now less likely to get admitted to the hospital with the risk of dvts and hospital acquired infections and being away from their family, beloved one being in their bed at home. So definitely the expansion on the ambulatory side is a key. It's growing fast, will continue to grow fast as we advance as a technology. And it's something we need to allocate more resources for.

[B]

And so many organizations are exploring new technologies, partnerships or care models to improve efficiency and outcomes. Are there any innovations or initiatives that you found to be particularly promising?

[C]

There are many. A lot of it is about preoperative patient care that allow patients to be prepared for the surgery. Like get their surgery quickly, go discharged home by use of new long acting local anesthetics, good like pain management that starts even planning before surgery. Advancement of minimally invasive procedures which come with robotic surgeries and many other kinds of minimally invasive surgeries that there are no big incisions, work done nicely and clean and this way the patient have less pain, less incisions to care for and potentially like quick discharge and back to activity and productivity.

[B]

So in your view, how does strengthening financial communication help foster long term trust and loyalty between patients and providers?

[C]

That's a very, very good question. Because when we talk about financial strengths, it's not only about good reimbursement or expensive service or patients paying because it's multifaceted concept in that if I can get the patient to do the procedure and go home at the same day, they will be more productive in the community. They will be back to work within one or two days. And this is financially important for the patient, for the community, for the whole country, rather than maybe go the other way, do it the traditional way. Maybe, yeah, maybe insurance will pay less. But then you have to admit the patient lose work, maybe develop complications, may spend more money on this. So we have to look at it at all aspects, not at only the one time reimbursement or payment that go through or between the patient and the facility, but rather on the whole spectrum of care and how much this maybe one time service would be a lot more cost effective.

[B]

Right. Right. Well, Dr. Al, I want to thank you so much for joining us on the show today. But before I let you go, is there anything you'd like to leave with the audience or any final thoughts?

[C]

I would like to share with people that it's my first time at the Beckers Conference and I'll be coming every year. Great place. Great place to connect and learn from others. I encourage everybody to visit next year, and I encourage everyone to not only to visit for the sake of learning, but also sharing experiences, you know, hanging out together to learn from each other and hopefully face all the challenges in the health care system that we encounter now, we continue to encounter in the future.

[B]

Awesome. Well, thank you again for joining us, Dr. Allen. I hope you have a lovely rest of your day.

[C]

Thanks so much.

[B]

My pleasure.