Brain & Spine Network

Working Together for High Quality, Affordable Brain and Spine Care

Two leading, Memphis-based health care organizations – Baptist Memorial Health Care and Semmes Murphey Clinic – have joined forces to form the Brain & Spine Network Center of Excellence to provide employers a cost-certain, high-quality solution for employees with back, neck and other neurological concerns.

Why Do You Need This Program?

Spinal disorders are the second most common reason American adults visit health care providers, and back issues are responsible for 83 million lost workdays a year — second only to the common cold.

Neurological diseases cost the country $800 billion annually, and that figure will only increase as the population ages. Strokes affect 6.8 million people older than 20, at a total national cost of approximately $34 billion a year.¹

And for all that lost productivity, only 2% of these spine patients are candidates for surgery.¹

Our Brain & Spine Network team treats patients using evidence-based protocols developed by a team of experts and research-based outcomes. As a result, the vast majority of cases, do not require surgery that can result in lengthy recoveries and many missed days of work. Some of the findings that guide our care are:

Neck Pain

• In most cases, the cause of neck pain can be diagnosed without imaging
• Conservative treatment and self-care are the mainstays of therapy
• Neck pain is often complicated by psycho-social factors
• Identifying red flags early is critical to optimal outcomes
• Generally, physical therapy should be reserved for patients with neck pain lasting longer than 6 weeks

Back Pain

• Imaging, an important driver of costs, is rarely necessary for patients with acute low back issues
• Psychological factors complicate the course of low back concerns
• Patient education and self-management are key components of our treatment strategy for managing low back pain
• Physical therapy has been shown to decrease the likelihood of progression from acute to chronic back concerns in patients who are at moderate or high risk
• Over-the-counter pain relievers are as effective as muscle relaxers and opioids for treating most back issues

Lost workdays due to back pain?

How it works

• Employers interested in offering this program as a benefit to their employees sign up to be a member of the Brain & Spine Network Center of Excellence program.
• Employees with a brain or back and neck concern can call our nurse navigator to schedule an appointment.

For patients who have certain brain and back/spine diagnoses, a navigator will guide patients through the entire process. This process may include an evaluation, physical therapy, diagnostics, imaging, surgery or some combination of these services. Patients receive care at one or more Semmes-Murphey or Baptist Memorial Health Care locations.

How it’s different

• Companies do not need to have Baptist Memorial Health Care as a part of their insurance program to sign up.
• Employers pay a set bundled price, providing cost certainty no matter what treatment employees need.
• Employers can choose to waive deductibles and co-pays for these services, providing their employees with access to exceptional care with no out-of-pocket cost.
• Employees can choose from our service offerings to determine what will work best for their employee population. If you are outside of our current region, we would be pleased to care for your patients who have been referred for surgery and confirm that treatment plan. Or if you prefer, we will care for your employees starting with non-surgical treatments and therapies. We have a robust offering of services and are happy to tailor these to meet your specific needs.

The program focuses on providing the right care at the right time based on innovative treatments and protocols. This means that for many employees, surgery will not be the best option. We consider many conservative approaches to resolving back and neck pain before discussing surgery.

A nurse navigator and a care team lead this concierge program, and they help guide your employees through the entire process. Patients can call or email their navigator with questions. If patients need access to other Brain & Spine Network specialists, the navigators guide the referral and communicate with the patient.

The Center of Excellence program measures outcomes and compares results with programs across the country. Our clinical team consistently achieves top rankings among their peers.

Our Program’s Results

The Brain & Spine Network Center of Excellence is focused on providing high-quality, patient-centered neurological care emphasizing value for the patient and employer. Our seamless delivery of care, which guides each patient throughout their treatment, is designed to provide the best possible outcomes.

And our results show it:

• 82% of patients who received an evaluation received conservative care and required no surgery or intensive care. That’s a 90% decrease in patients requiring surgery
• Only 16% of evaluated patients progressed to an outpatient surgical setting
• Less than 1% were recommended for inpatient surgery
• 53% shorter hospital stays
• 31% lower rate of readmission after 30 days
• 14% faster return-to-work rate compared to the national average

Baptist Memorial Health Care and Semmes Murphey are dedicated to creating neurosciences innovations. Semmes Murphey draws on more than 100 years of service and experience to expand the field through research, innovation and its highly competitive residency training program. Baptist, one of the country’s largest health care systems, consistently performs above national benchmarks for neurological and spine procedures.

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We would love the opportunity to show you how this program can benefit your employees and your company’s bottom line. If you would like to speak to someone to learn more, please fill out this form.