Join Dr. Scott Sigman, renowned orthopedic surgeon with Spire Orthopedic Partners and host of The Ortho Show, as he sits down with our host Solomon Wilcots, Sports-Health Alliance Team Leader at Russo Partners.
In this insightful episode, Dr. Sigman discusses his work with elite athletes like the LA Lakers and Dodgers, and how those experiences have shaped his approach to patient care. Learn about the latest advancements in knee and shoulder surgeries, the importance of communication, and building strong patient relationships.
Solomon Wilcots: Welcome to the Russo Edge Podcast Show. Today, one of those conversations is with our good friend, Dr. Scott Sigman. Dr. Sigman, of course, is an award-winning orthopedic surgeon who specializes in shoulder and knee care. He also hosts his own podcast, The Ortho Show, and he’s joining us from his office in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Why Public Relations Shapes Trust in Modern Healthcare
Solomon Wilcots: Here at Russo, Dr. Sigman, we’re all about good public relations, and you know that all too well yourself. Of course, you’re working on a book about branding and about PR for doctors and their practice. Let’s start by asking you this: How important is it to you, good public relations? And, of course, how do you use that to represent your surgical centers?
Dr. Scott Sigman: Solomon, what a pleasure it is to see you again, my friend. We’ve done some great work together, and it’s always a pleasure to see you. So, you know, it’s interesting—75% of patients will now Google their doctor before they’re coming in. And I’m not just talking about you or me, but I’m talking about your parents and even grandparents are on their cell phones and Googling. So, understanding what your message is and what patients can perceive of you is super important. We like to say, “You are what you say you are, you are what Google says you are, and you are what your patients say you are.” So, being ahead of that and being able to develop your message and your brand is what we’re doing with Physician Brand Rx with my co-author, Matthew Ray Scott. We’re excited. We’re in publishing, and we’re going to have the book out hopefully in the next month or so.
Translating High-Performance Sports Medicine to Everyday Care
Solomon Wilcots: Well, your personal brand is quite strong. You’ve worked with some very important brands yourself like the LA Lakers, the LA Dodgers—I grew up rooting for both of those teams while growing up in Los Angeles. You’ve worked with a number of different teams even in the Massachusetts area. What did you learn from working with some of those big brands and some of the names that they represent?
Dr. Scott Sigman: Yeah, what an absolute privilege it was to be able to care for these amazing athletes. This was nearly 30 years ago. At this time, Magic Johnson had come back out of retirement, he was playing. Wayne Gretzky, the great one, was playing for the Los Angeles Kings at the time. We took care of four or five NFL quarterbacks during that year as well. I think what I learned most being able to take care of professional athletes is that you provide outstanding care, but really the majority of people we care for are normal people, everyday people, they have jobs, they’re husbands, they’re wives, they’re parents etcetera or the kids that are playing as well. You take that skill set that you learned as far as caring for the high-end professional athletes and then you can apply it to the average everyday patient, as well. What a privilege it is.
When Elite Athlete Care Builds Broader Patient Trust
Solomon Wilcots: I want to ask you more about that because I’ve found that when you work with these big-name athletes, they are high performing athletes, they seem to serve as an influencer for the average patient, right. If they know you’re caring for Wayne Gretzky, they tend to want to trust you even that much more. If Wayne Gretzky will let you take care of his knee or his shoulder or Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul Jabbar, they’re all in. If they see that you’re working with some of these top-notch athletes, how have you found that to kind of work for you?
Dr. Scott Sigman: Yeah, let’s go back to my brand. Part of my brand is that I did my fellowship at the Curlin-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic, which at the time was a world-famous sports medicine clinic. Athletes flew in from all over the world to have their care. That badge of honor, that Curlin-Jobe badge of honor, is something I’ve carried in 30 years of practice that has opened doors for me professionally, for allowing me for medical education, but also patients are really very proud. They want to be part of something bigger than they are. Knowing that you’ve cared for these athletes and now you’re caring for them, they’re really appreciative.
How Minimally Invasive Advances Are Changing Orthopedics
Solomon Wilcots: We should let people know, Dr. Jobe, he was instrumental in developing the process to solve the problem that created the Tommy John surgery. Think about that. That has really revolutionized that. There was a time if you sustained that kind of injury, your whole career was done. He has added years to the life of many Major League pitchers, many quarterbacks who have that golden arm. So, his work continues to really bless not only a lot of athletes, but just everyday weekend warriors as well. I want to ask you about some of the innovations that we see taking place with knee and shoulder surgery. I recently just had a shoulder replacement, so I know what it’s done for me and giving me back my vitality. What kind of new innovations have you seen with knees and shoulders and how are patients benefiting from those new technologies?
Dr. Scott Sigman: I think the thing that’s really most remarkable is the way in which we’re treating patients, allowing you to go home. Nobody’s going to the big white building with patients in it anymore, right? No one wants to go to the hospital. They have sick people there. In order to do that, you really need to innovate in a few ways. First and foremost is the management of pain. We have nerve blocks, for example, now, that can last up to three days. So literally you can get your shoulder replacement done, Solomon, in the morning at 7:30. You could be at home in front of the TV at 1:00 feeling comfortable, not requiring narcotics. So that’s super important. We’ve got some really cool things we’re doing now with robotics and navigation, which make us better at how we’re putting in our implants as well using minimally invasive surgery. Whether it’s rotator cuff surgery where we’re using special implants to get the rotator cuff to heal better or the bare ACL, which is a cool ACL reconstruction procedure now where we can suture your own ACL instead of reconstructing it. There’s tremendous innovation that’s happening in the orthopedic space at this time.
Solomon Wilcots: Simply phenomenal! I remember the nerve block the evening I was home after having my surgery. You’re right, I was sent home immediately after I came to the recovery room, and I was able to go home. I was able to be with my family, and I wasn’t in my own bed, but I had my own Lazy Boy chair right next to the bed and I felt great. I’m watching movies on Netflix and doing all the things that I would normally do in my downtime. So, you’re right. These innovative technologies have really come to, really, I think, advance things for patients and take away a lot of the pain that we would associate with many of these invasive surgeries. Look, you’re known as “The Fro.” I’m not going to say anything about the pictures behind you. They’re very similar. But you’re known as “The Fro.” Do your patients call you that?
Dr. Scott Sigman: It’s really become that, Solomon. It’s amazing. I even have a little piñata hanging up in my office that’s got me with my flip-flops, and my black scrubs, and my hair. It’s #FollowTheFro. It started off with a friend of mine and basically has grown and it has literally become a part of my brand. I actually sign off all of my social media posts at this point as well. And yes, my patients love to follow the exploits, and the travels and the education. I’m going to do the Dubai shoulder course to be able to teach in October. My patients love to follow me with doing that stuff as well. It’s really become part of who I am.
Aligning Surgeons and Investors to Drive Progress
Solomon Wilcots: That’s really great. Now, the Russo team works with investor relations as well. You’ve developed various techniques and built out some surgical centers. How important is it to have good relationships with investors?
Dr. Scott Sigman: I think it’s crucial to be able to innovate and do the things that you want to do. I think about it this way, you can’t build a spaceship, for example, without having an astronaut be involved in the process, right? So, you need surgeons and innovation-not only do you need innovation, but you need capital to be able to innovate, and so developing these relationships is really paramount to how you can invest, innovate and make new things happen. What I say is, I’m an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in knees and shoulders left and right. Do I know how to capital raise? Do I know how to get a Series A across the board? No. But if I’m partnered with people that do and have expertise in the business world, then we can combine all of our strengths and really move the needle and make a difference.
Relationships That Evolve From Capital to Care
Solomon Wilcots: Excellent! Do any of your investors become patients, Dr. Sigman?
Dr. Scott Sigman: Everybody becomes my patient eventually. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. What happens is like trust. It’s like how you decided to pick your doctor that was there for your shoulder replacement, right? It was somebody that you knew. Dr. Paul Favorito, we can give that shout-out, he’s a dear friend of mine. We only think the best of him. The reason you picked him was because of the fact that his reputation, over time if you have relationships with people, you become an expert, you seek out their expertise and then they seek out your expertise as well.
Solomon Wilcots: That is so well said, no doubt about it. Any words of wisdom that you would like to leave for our audience regarding public relations and just good communication in general?
Dr. Scott Sigman: The most important thing that you can try to do is to develop a message as to who you are. What is it that matters to you? For example, as a surgeon, how can I communicate to my ideal patients so that they know who it is that they’re dealing with before they even get to my office. They know who the brand of Dr. Sigman is. They know what I stand for. They know what my message is. So, when I open the door to my next new patient, I know that that patient has sought me out to be able to provide their care.
Solomon Wilcots: We want to say thank you for taking the time to join us here at the Russo Edge Podcast Show. Doctor Scott Sigman, orthopedic surgeon, podcast host and branding expert coming to us from North Chelmsford, MA. I’m Solomon Wilcots. Thank you for joining us everyone.
The Russo Edge Podcast is hosted by Solomon Wilcots and features candid conversations at the intersection of biotech, healthcare, and innovation, spotlighting leaders, scientists, and investors moving medicine forward. The following transcript has been edited for clarity.
