Podcast Summary: The Future of Sports Medicine and Orthopedics With Dr. Frank A. Cordasco

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Host: Carly Beam
Guest: Dr. Frank A. Cordasco (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York)
Date: February 3, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the latest developments and future directions in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery with Dr. Frank Cordasco, a leading surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery. The discussion covers major trends—including AI, wearables, telemedicine, and biologics—that are shaping patient care and the orthopedic field. Dr. Cordasco offers expert insight on actionable innovations, ongoing challenges, and predictions for the next few years.

Key Topics and Highlights

1. Dr. Frank Cordasco: Background and Credentials

• Orthopedic surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York.
• Senior research scientist at HSS, professor at Weill Cornell Medicine.
• Former president of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons.
• Editor for the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.
  (00:13–01:19)

2. Top Trends in Healthcare and Orthopedics

A. AI and Automation

• “AI and automation in care… is rapidly moving into diagnostics, risk prediction, clinical documentation, and administrative workflow automation.”
  (02:07)
• Practical applications include reading medical images, flagging high-risk patients, automating paperwork, and assisting with triage.
• AI in imaging matches or can approach the accuracy of musculoskeletal (MSK) radiologists.

B. Virtual Care and Wearables

• Telemedicine now mainstream, especially post-pandemic; especially useful for primary care and behavioral health.
• Remote monitoring and consumer wearables enable continuous data collection and proactive care.
• “Remote patient monitoring, consumer wearables can feed continuous data to clinicians and enables early detection…”
  (03:16)

C. Personalized, Value-Based Care

• Movement away from fee-for-service toward models rewarding outcomes.
• Use of genomics, biomarkers, and individualized care plans increasingly common, especially in oncology and condition-specific management.
• “Many health systems… are shifting from fee for service toward value based models that reward outcomes with coordinated whole person care.”
  (04:04)

3. Specific Innovations in Sports Medicine

A. AI in Imaging and Surgical Planning

• AI tools in orthopedics excel at detecting fractures, implant loosening, osteoarthritis, and sports injuries.
• Real-time clinical support for faster diagnosis and treatment planning.
• “Orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine surgeons are often reading their own films… AI is helping in those cases where perhaps more information is necessary to be accurate...”
  (05:11)

B. Intraoperative AI and Robotics

• AI-driven templating predicts implant sizes, patient-specific alignment.
• Robotics, navigation, and augmented/virtual reality increasingly integrated.
• "Low hanging fruit in orthopedics has been anything that involves bone… My field, sports medicine… probably been a little bit behind for a number of reasons."
  (06:26)

C. Predictive Analytics for Outcomes

• AI models forecast length of stay, complications, and readmissions, initially in arthroplasty, now extending to ACL, meniscus, and shoulder surgeries.
• AI is also streamlining documentation (clinic notes, operative reports).

D. Virtual Follow-Ups

• Virtual care essential for geographically distant or international athletes, particularly post-operative periods.
• “Myself, my own athletic trainer and my PA can meet in a room, so to speak, virtually, with an athlete… It’s just been a game changer for us.”
  (08:11)

4. Wearables and Remote Monitoring

• Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) with accelerometers & gyroscopes increasingly used for real-time rehab tracking (range of motion, step counts, limb loading).
• AI flags patients lagging in rehab or at risk for overloading, allowing early intervention.
• “We’re now using… IMU-based systems… to track range of motion, step counts, limb loading, return to play metrics after the types of surgeries I’ve discussed.”
  (10:52)

5. Future Explosions in Innovation (2026 and Beyond)

• Growth and integration of wearables expected but must address cost-effectiveness and logistics for widespread adoption.
• “The issue is logistically how to implement it, how to organize it...The technology is there.”
  (11:59–13:04)
• Digital rehab platforms and app-based protocols facilitate data sharing, standardized pathways, and outcomes research.
• “We can push exercise videos as well as other aspects like pain and function scores and proms directly to dashboards…”
  (13:19)

6. Biologics in Orthopedics: Current State and Predictions

• Three biologic types: bloodborne, bone marrow-derived, adipose tissue.
• Used for enhancing healing in both non-operative and post-operative patients, but lack of high-quality evidence restricts widespread insurance coverage.
• “We wish we had more data than we do. And I think that’s going to explode with the help of AI over the next two years.”
  (14:35)
• PRP evidence strongest in early osteoarthritis (esp. knee/elbow), less compelling for conditions like rotator cuff pathology.
• Variation in efficacy due to genetic and host response differences.
• “What may work for me with the same problem that you might have may not work for you... differences between humans have an impact on responses to these biologics.”
  (17:54)

Notable Quotes

• On AI’s Role:
  “AI and automation in care is rapidly moving into diagnostics, risk prediction, clinical documentation, and administrative workflow automation.” – Dr. Cordasco (02:07)

• On Virtual Care Innovations:
  “Virtual follow-up now is a stable part of my post op care, particularly as a sports surgeon who sees athletes from all over the country and in some cases all over the world... it has just been a game changer for us.” – Dr. Cordasco (08:13)

• On Wearables for Rehab:
  “We’re now using… IMU-based systems… to track range of motion, step counts, limb loading, return to play metrics after the types of surgeries I’ve discussed.” – Dr. Cordasco (10:52)

• On Biologics Data Gap:
  “We wish we had more data than we do. And I think that’s going to explode with the help of AI over the next two years.” – Dr. Cordasco (14:35)

Memorable Moments and Timestamps

• Dr. Cordasco recounts the transformative role of virtual care for global athlete patient follow-ups. (08:11–09:24)
• Illuminating discussion of AI’s growing accuracy in reading radiographs and MRIs, emphasizing empowerment for orthopedic surgeons. (05:11–06:26)
• Distinction between bone and soft tissue procedures in embracing technological advancements. (06:26)

Conclusion

Dr. Frank Cordasco provides a wide-ranging yet practical look at the future of sports medicine and orthopedics, highlighting the intersection of technology, individualized care, and ongoing challenges around data and adoption. He foresees rapid evolution, especially in AI, wearables, and biologics—with patient experience and outcomes the ultimate beneficiaries.