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Renowned Spine Surgeon Dr. Richard Francis of Spine Associates in Houston, Texas has developed and implemented a Patient to Patient Ambassador Program dedicated to patients that will be undergoing spine surgery. Pairing of former spine surgery patients with new surgery patients prove extremely beneficial for both patients involved. Continue reading
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Dec 05, 2014 /prREACH/ -- It’s only natural that anyone facing a major surgery for the first time would obviously have many questions and concerns about their upcoming procedure. One can only imagine how a young teenage patient facing scoliosis corrective surgery might feel under those same circumstances. Fortunately for many patients who have their surgery performed by Houston Spine Surgeon Dr. Richard Francis, there is a Patient to Patient Ambassador Program in place where a volunteer former spine surgery patient makes themselves available to the new patient.
A patient ambassador is a patient that has had spine surgery in the past and they are willing to talk to other patients about their experience. For the patient undergoing the surgery it can be extremely comforting to have the former patient available to simply answer questions and address some of the anxieties they may be feeling. Patients are paired with an advocate based on pre-operative diagnosis, type of surgery, gender and age. The program was developed in order to provide answers to questions that only fellow patients can answer based on their own experience.
Patients and advocates may discuss a wide variety of topics such as;
- How they themselves felt when they had surgery
- How the recovery process was for them
- What the realistic expectations might be
- How the Doctor and Staff interacted with them at their time of surgery
- What the process prior to and after the surgery will be like
- What the Hospital experience was like
- What to expect regarding their time after recovery
Ambassadors/Advocates are contacted by a patient liaison of Spine Associates and once they volunteer are given the option to choose how they wish to communicate with the surgery patient, whether it is via phone, text, email, in person or all of the above. All conversations between patients and advocates are strictly confidential.
*All patient advocates must be 18 years of age or older or provide a signed consent form by a parent or guardian.
Any current or former spine surgery patient of Dr. Richard Francis seeking more information regarding the Patient to Patient Ambassador Program at Spine Associates is encouraged to contact; Spine Associates Executive Assistant Jody Plumb-Gonzalez Office Phone: 713-383-7100 Direct Line: 713-305-7088
Richard R.M. Francis, M.D. MBA, FRCS Ed., FRCS Ed. (Tr & Orth) Diplomat of the Intercollegiate Specialty Board in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery (UK). Dr. Francis has been practicing medicine for nearly two decades. Since founding Spine Associates in 2003, he has built a considerable reputation by maintaining a conservative approach to treating all spine conditions in both children and adults. He has made it his goal to stay at the forefront of technology, yet maintain a personal connection with patients and their families. Dr. Francis is one of few spine surgeons capable of performing surgeries on children as well as adults and prides himself as one of the first surgeons in the nation asked to perform the artificial disc replacement and to use robotic assistance in spine surgery.
Dr. Richard Francis is widely recognized as an expert in the field of spine surgery and has been a featured authority on many news media sites such as Small Business Trendsetters, Medical News Media Source, Becker Spine Review and SpineHealth.com as well as numerous mentions on hundreds of ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC affiliate news sites and TV and Radio station websites.
For further information or to contact Dr. Richard Francis’ office, please see below.
Website: http://www.myspineassociates.com/
Houston
5420 West Loop South, Suite 2500 Bellaire, Texas 77401 Phone: 713-383-7100 Fax: 713-383-7500
Beaumont
One Folsom Building 3820 Pointe Parkway at Folsom Drive Beaumont, Texas 77706 Phone: 409-767-8221 Fax: 409-785-4200
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