What orthopaedic surgeons want referring physicians to know
Patients who require orthopaedic surgery have a dedicated team of subspecialists at UCI Health, says expert
IN THE NEWS: Referring physicians play an important role in connecting patients who require complex surgery with the right specialist. Dr. Sohaib Hashmi, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon at UCI Health Orthopaedic Surgery Services recently spoke with Becker’s Hospital Review, sharing that referring patients should be aware that patients with complex cases often need care by multiple subspecialists.
“I wish referring physicians better understood that when patients are referred to my practice, they are cared for by a dedicated multidisciplinary team focused on optimizing every aspect of their spine health. My practice specializes in complex spinal deformity and revision surgery for patients with severe deformities, failed prior operations and challenging surgical histories that require extensive preoperative planning, patient-specific optimization and advanced surgical techniques.”
Hashmi says that achieving the best outcomes requires close collaboration among spine surgery, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, anesthesia, rehabilitation and other specialists, with patients often meeting multiple surgical teams before surgery as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
Hashmi is the director of spine trauma at UCI Health. He is also an assistant professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurosurgery at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. His clinical interests include degenerative diseases of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, scoliosis, traumatic spine injuries, athletic injuries, complex revision spine surgery and reconstructive spine surgery. He uses both open and minimally invasive surgical approaches and works with varied surgical teams to treat trauma patient from the initial injury through recovery.
His current research is focused on orthobiologics and patient-reported outcomes studies in orthopaedic spine and traumatic disorders. He is the author or co-author of more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.
About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.