We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr Adnan Saithna, MD. FAANA. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr Adnan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
A recent defining moment in my professional career was the receipt of the 2023 “Outstanding Physician Award” from the Maricopa County Medical Society (MCMS). It was a great honor to receive this award knowing that the level of competition was extremely high. I was especially pleased to receive this award because one of the missions of the society is to promote excellence in the quality of care and the health of the community, and that mirrors my own healthcare philosophy. Although I have been in practice as an orthopedic surgeon for over 10 years, I have only been in practice in Arizona (with offices in Scottsdale, Central Phoenix & the West Valley) for about 2 years. To build my practice to the level where I am able to provide world class orthopedic care in such a short space of time is a testament to the incredible team I work with, all of whom are dedicated to providing the best possible care for every patient. This is reflected in our online patient testimonials but also in this award for which I was nominated by my peers and many of my patients. Of course, to be in a position to achieve this award and be able to provide the best possible orthopedic care requires many years of dedication and highly specialized training, and so there are many other defining moments, some of which I will share below.
I am currently independently ranked as one of the top 25 anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL reconstruction) experts globally (https://www.expertscape.com/
I have built my reputation in knee surgery and especially ACL surgery through a strong academic background of clinical research (I am a professor of orthopedic surgery with over 250 publications. A link to many of my publications is available here https://www.researchgate.net/
A further defining moment of my career was receiving Royal Honors when I was in practice in the UK. I was awarded the King James IV Professorship for excellence in knee surgery (especially with respect to the surgical treatment of ACL ruptures, cartilage injuries and meniscus tears). This award is given in open competition to surgeons who have built an international reputation for making a significant contribution to the clinical and/or scientific basis of surgery. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II gave permission for the Royal College of Surgeons to use the title King James IV Professorship for this award (the highest possible research award from the college) because King James IV of Scotland had an interest in all matters scientific, including medicine and surgery.
Although there are many more defining moments, I would like to share just one more which helps to demonstrate that getting fantastic outcomes for our patients is not just about surgical skills but also about collaborative working (for example with my outstanding physical therapy colleagues) and post-operative care. Earlier this year I received the “Blockbuster Award” from the video journal of sports medicine for our ground-breaking work showing how our techniques for improving knee stiffness before and after knee surgery, or even after a knee injury, work quickly and efficiently and solve a previously difficult problem to address. For anyone interested to know more, the video is available via the following link (https://journals.sagepub.com/
Dr Adnan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am an orthopedic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive and arthroscopic surgery (surgery performed through tiny incisions with a camera) of the knee and shoulder, also known as orthopedic sports medicine. I have a natural affinity for this subspecialty of orthopedics because of my own athletic background, which included a sports scholarship at Birmingham university for ironman triathlon, and many years of competitive running and cycling. Having suffered several injuries myself, and having subsequently undergone knee surgery, provides me a unique insight into what it’s like to be injured. This allows me to be a better orthopedic surgeon because I can truly empathize with my patients and understand what they are going through when they are injured.
Although my subspecialty is known as “orthopedic sports medicine” many of my patients are non-athletic. If you are in my waiting room you may see olympic-level and professional athletes, but you will also see non-athletic older patients seeking treatment with the aim of simply being able to perform activities of daily living in a pain free manner. Regardless of whether you are a high level athlete or not, my staff and I aim to treat every patient in the way we would want our own family members to be treated. That means providing the highest standards of care in a compassionate, friendly and caring environment. We spend time to understand every patients individual needs and goals and tailor a treatment plan individualized to them. I strongly feel that this approach sets us apart from many other practices in the Valley. It has become all too common now that healthcare is unfriendly and uncaring. Thats simply not how we do things! In fact, we frequently receive feedback on the friendliness and caring approach of our team, and that reflects our desire to provide the very best quality of care.
Another important area that set me apart from others is my internationally recognized expertise in orthopedic sports medicine. My work has won the highest awards from national and international specialist societies, I hold multiple professorships and leadership roles in orthopedics, and have published extensively, with many publications directly influencing how surgeons practice orthopedic surgery globally. These characteristics mean that I have the knowledge, experience, expertise and technical skill to do the very best for my patients, and again, that’s reflected in our online patient feedback.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Having received the 2023 Maricopa County Medical Society Award for Outstanding Physician despite having only been in the valley for 2 years demonstrates that I offer the very best standards of orthopedic care (including both operative and non-operative treatment).
My reputation is quite simply built on patient feedback and excellent clinical outcomes. Although I have a national and international reputation for excellence in orthopedic surgery, most patients are not aware of that when they make an appointment. They come to me because I was recommended by someone they trust (a friend, family member or another provider eg their PT), often someone who was a previous patient, or who has looked after my patients and observed rapid recovery and minimal pain after surgery. Many times patients will tell me they came to me because the referrer told them that I was the best person in the Valley to help them with their particular issue. This is reflected in the fact that I have many testimonials on my google business page and social media channels (feel free to follow!) where patients report excellent clinical outcomes, often for complex or revision surgeries, after treatment with other providers has failed..
My reputation is also built on how we treat people – which is how I would want a family member to be treated. I feel that this is an important cornerstone of my practice, and this is also clearly reflected in our online feedback.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
In my opinion, success in orthopedic surgery is getting the patient back to doing the things they want to be able to do (whether thats being a pro-athlete or being able to perform activities of daily living) in a pain free manner, with a rapid recovery and without complications.
I’ve already mentioned how my training and knowledge sets me apart from others, but additional important attributes for success are communication and team working. The success of my patients in getting back to doing the things they love is of course influenced by my skill as a surgeon but it is also heavily dependent on great communication between all of my team members, who also need to individually excel in their particular areas. Now that might include the medical assistant, the surgery scheduler, or the pre-operative nurse, but behind the scenes there are many parts of the team that need to work well together and that requires great communication
A good example of great communication is that every physical therapist I work with has my personal phone number. If they see a patient whose recovery is slow or they have a concern they can contact me anytime and we will work together to quickly resolve problems. Similarly, every patient who undergoes surgery with me receives my personal phone number. In the unlikely event that an issue occurs they can contact me and me and my team, and we work together to address problems quickly. In summary, open communication and being accessible when issues arise are key attributes that are essential for ensuring the best possible outcomes
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adnansaithna.com
- Instagram: adnan_saithna_md
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Adnan.Saithna/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adnan-saithna-md-faana-544944b8
- Twitter: phx_ortho
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8DINbJjF7-gCsJ2DcTt_cQ
- Other: Published Research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adnan-Saithna
Image Credits
Dr Adnan Saithna, MD