Jan 7, 2019
Robin chats with David Harshfield, medical director of the Arkansas Institute of Regenerative Medicine, chairman of the International Cellular Medicine Society IRB and member of the AAOM Board of Directors, about innovative regenerative medicine legislation in Arkansas that could potentially save millions of dollars. Harshfield first stressed the importance of a holistic approach toward medicine, noting that before injecting anything into a joint, it’s important to check other systems in the body, especially the endocrine system. Regenerative therapies don’t have the side effects of surgery, Harshfield says, and the Arkansas pilot legislation is designed to produce better patient outcomes and save money. In Arkansas, an interdisciplinary committee was formed to focus on the use of less expensive, more effective therapies, such as regenerative injections, to benefit patients as measures of first response. The importance of the law also lies in the establishment of a registry and new reimbursement criteria. The registry will help physicians learn from their failures as well as successes, Harshfield explains.