Christian Pean, MD, assistant professor of orthopaedic trauma surgery at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University School of Medicine and executive director of AI and IT innovation for Duke Orthopaedic Surgery, is looking at 2026 with a pragmatic but urgent view of the obstacles that await orthopedic programs.
For him, the principal challenge will be expanding access and capacity while protecting quality amid accelerating pressure to shift complex procedures out of the hospital.
“In orthopedic surgery, we’re trying to really expand access and growth while balancing that with maintaining quality,” Dr. Pean told Becker’s. “There’s a huge shift and pressure to de-platform inpatient surgery and move to the outpatient setting, and we want to absolutely do that as a health system. The goal is to do it quickly, safely and learn as much as we can.”…