Insights

    Workflow, decisions, and what actually works

    Writing about the things I think about between cases — imaging interpretation, decisions before the OR, workflow bottlenecks, and what thoughtful change in surgery actually looks like. For surgeons, trainees, and the builders working alongside them. Patients are welcome, but this is the working side of practice.

    Technology & Innovation

    Why AI Scribes Won't Fix Specialty Burnout Without Rethinking the Clinic Day

    AI scribes can reduce documentation burden, but specialty burnout also comes from fragmented records, slow EHR workflows, imaging delays, and the time it takes to reconstruct the patient story.

    March 23, 2026

    7 min read

    Anchor Essay

    Surgery & Decision-Making

    Why I'm Writing Here

    I'm a spine surgeon. I spend most of my time in the OR, in clinic, or thinking about what happens between those two places — the imaging we order, the decisions we make before a single incision, the workflow bottlenecks nobody talks about. I'm not interested in hype. I'm interested in what actually works, what we measure poorly, and what we could do better if we were honest about the gaps. This is writing for surgeons, trainees, and builders. Patients are welcome, but this is the working-out-loud side of practice.

    March 15, 2026

    12 min read

    Surgery & Decision-Making

    The Case for Slower Decisions in Elective Spine Surgery

    The gap between a patient's first visit and the operating room may be the most important variable in outcomes we rarely measure. In the rush to schedule, we often overlook the value of deliberation — and the decisions that happen before the OR matter more than most of what happens inside it.

    February 28, 2026

    8 min read

    Workflow & Systems

    Imaging Interpretation Is a Workflow Problem, Not Just a Clinical One

    We treat imaging as a diagnostic event, but it's actually a workflow bottleneck. Who reads it, when they read it, what they compare it to, and how findings get communicated to the patient — each step introduces friction and potential error that has nothing to do with the scan itself.

    January 20, 2026

    9 min read

    Technology & Innovation

    What Surgeons Actually Need from Intraoperative Navigation

    Moving past the feature list to ask what really changes outcomes, workflow, and confidence in the OR. The gap between what's marketed and what matters is wide — and closing it requires surgeons who build, not just surgeons who buy.

    December 12, 2025

    10 min read

    Surgery & Decision-Making

    Shared Decision-Making Is Harder Than We Admit

    Most surgeons believe they practice shared decision-making. Most patients would disagree. The uncomfortable middle ground is where the real work happens — and where training falls short.

    November 5, 2025

    7 min read

    Technology & Innovation

    Responsible AI in Surgery: Starting with the Right Questions

    Before asking what AI can do in the operating room, we should ask what problems are worth solving and what evidence we would need to trust a solution. Not interested in hype — interested in what holds up under scrutiny.

    October 18, 2025

    11 min read

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