Neurosurgeon Dr. Ryan Grant and Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Mary O’Connor want to transform musculoskeletal care by doing less surgery. They are building a multi-billion dollar health service company. Dr. O’Connor is the previous Chair of Orthopedics at Mayo Clinic in Florida and Dr. Grant’s track record as a successful serial entrepreneur means that Vori Health will have a major impact in the musculoskeletal market that affects up to 50% of adults throughout the world.
When a patient sees a surgeon for a consultation there is a strong chance they will end up going under the knife. Studies have raised questions about how effective spinal surgery is for back pain. In many cases, similar or better results can be achieved using options including multidisciplinary care that includes an expert nonoperative physician, physical therapy and lifestyle interventions.
About 100 million adults in the US are affected by chronic pain, including joint pain or arthritis. This leads to 500,000 Americans undergoing surgery each year for low back problems alone. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), we spend more than $90 billion each year to relieve back pain, and for the majority, symptoms cannot be attributed to a specific disease or spinal pathology.