Paradigm Medical Directors play an important consultative role in our systematic care management program.  They offer expert insights and collaborate with the treating physicians, as well as guide each injured workers’ care team.  So, let’s meet one of them!

Doctor Leslie Porter is a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist with expertise in the management of catastrophic injuries.  

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to work with Paradigm.

A: I actually started out as a general surgeon after my general surgery internship. During my internship, I realized that I wanted a longer exposure to patients than that environment particularly offered.  So, I did a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. After my residency training, I went to our faculty at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and was there for almost four years.  Then, I was approached to come up to Dallas and join the Better Institution for Rehabilitation staff.

Q: What type of approach do you take when consulting for Paradigm?

A: Paradigm’s consultation is different from many other management companies.  Early in the management process, I’ll contact the managing physicians and discuss, from their perspective, what’s going on with the patient and may need to assist them in creating a management plan for them or the next step in the process. That relationship will continue throughout the heart of the patient’s recovery process.  So, in the acute care setting in the hospital into the rehabilitation setting, into the outpatient environment and also into the home setting as well. It’s a long process that occurs with these catastrophically injured patients. It provides increased continuity for both the patient, the patient’s management team, and the Paradigm team.

Q: It does sound like you’re teaching outside of the classroom now.

A: I really enjoy teaching.  It’s what I do at the hospital right now. I enjoy teaching other folks.  The collaboration that happens with the physicians I visit with; I get smarter, they get smarter.  That also applies to our team members at Paradigm, we exchange knowledge and change how we manage individuals based upon somebody’s progress.  On top of it, I get the opportunity to also teach our clients, which sounds a little odd because these are folks that do this for a living. At the same time, learning and understanding what’s happening with the patient really only facilitates their improvement.  

Q: What is it about Paradigm that keeps you working with us?

A: The Paradigm Management model is completely different from other management models.  Dr. Nathan Cope was our establishing physician and many years ago he had a very radical concept. There was a lot of case management that was focused on cost containment in close review and saying ‘no’ unless certain criteria were being met. The idea of letting your expert management physicians outline a management course and then help them achieve that course was completely different.  Our data clearly shows that it was the right thing to do because we show that our patients get better and they have longer-term benefits as well.

For more on Paradigm’s team approach to complex care management visit paradigmcorp.com.   You can also connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.