Local doctor working to improve patient experience
Dr. KamalWoods of Kettering wants to improve the disconnect betweenpatientsandtheirdoctor.
Born and raised on the island nation of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, Woods’ upbringing, surrounded by people living in poverty, helpedhimdecidetobecome a doctor. He went to a college in Trinidad and said it was during his sophomore year thathe began thinkingabout his eventual career.
“I was watching TV and a show about trauma in the ER and I got hooked,” Woods said. “Itwas that showthat inspiredme to become a doctor and a surgeon.”
Woodswent to medical school in California and completed his residency with a specialty in neurosurgery and the spine at
Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.
“Everything Idotodaywas rootedinmytimeatCedars,” Woods said. “During medical school I always knew I would be a surgeon but didn’t know what to specialize in. I had an opportunity to observebrainsurgery and Iwill always remember being in the operating room and seeing the brain and the heart beating.”
Woods was in awe and, at thatmoment, he developed a sense of passion and purpose for neurosurgery. He was eventually recruited by Kettering Health Network and moved to the area in 2016withhis wife, Loredana and his two young children Alexis, now 8 and Logan, now 6.
“My fifirst real encounter with the healthcare system in the U.S. waswhenwewere havingour children,” Woods said. “Going through the medical experience from the other side – the point of view of a patient – was eye opening.”
It was during those few years while sitting in waiting rooms, sometimes for hours, that Woods and his wife beganto talk about how they could work together to
create something unique in health care that would focus on the patient and make medical experiences much more positive.
“My wife and I were in Temecula wine country in California and we were talking about what was wrong with medical care
inthis country,” Woods said. “We have the best doctors and hospitals and medical schools in the U.S. butwhen it comes to the patient, there is a disconnect.”
That’s when “Vertrae,” Woods’ idea for a difffffffffffferent type of medical practice, was born.
“WestartedVertraein2015 and it was a new model of how we could deliver care to patients,” Woods said. “Throughout the last few years, with themove to the Dayton area, I put a lot of energy into incorporating some ofmy ideas into what I was doing and it just continued to develop through trial and error.”
The “idea” that was the spark for Vertrae became a reality thismonth with the grand opening of Woods’ private practice in Washington Twp. The name is a combinationof “virtual” and “vertebrae” and the practice itself offffffffffffers patients an environment where individual care comes fifirst and the guest experience in the offiffice is of primary importance.
“The passion to rethink medical care has become my life’s purpose,” Woods said. “I want to try to make whatever I’m doing feel different for people.”
Woods said he believes that patient care should be personalized and as minimally invasive as possible. Vertrae, Inc. offffffffffffers personalized neck, spine, and back procedures to patients in Dayton, Springfifield, andsurrounding areas.
So, what’s unique about Vertrae? Woodshasdesigned his new office, located at 7933 Washington Woods Drive, to be almost like a visit to a “spa.” Without lobby or waiting room, the offiffice welcomes customers to relax in a space that will feel more like their own living rooms at home.
“Many people leave doctors’ offices, and they are frustratedbecause theydon’t get answers and they have to wait for the next steps,” Woods said. “We want people to leave our offiffice and think ‘ Wow, that was awesome!’”
Woods is removing any barriers between patients and doctor and is greeting eachvisitor personally, inviting them to sitwith him and share their stories.
“No one has really given any thought to how a doctors’ offiffice should look, and it has been the samefor generations,” Woods said. “This, along with and my passion for minimally invasive treatment, separates what I do fromwhat everyone else in our area is doing. Wecansee someonewithina dayor two after they call and work out a plan right then and there. I’m focused on surgery and treatmentwithminimal disruption and faster return to normal life.”
Formore information, log on to vertrae.com