Private medicine “boom” in sports

Madrid, 28 April. Private sports medicine is booming. Its growth in recent years is indisputable. It has gained importance and made its way into society. Football, athletics, basketball and handball clubs, federations, elite athletes and ordinary fans benefit from a quality of service that is, in some cases, the “best” worldwide.

Spain is growing and so is sports medicine. The training of specialists is constantly evolving. They have been developed to adapt to the needs of sports, which are becoming more entrenched in society and more demanding among professionals. Along with research, technological advances in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of injuries have also arrived.

Clinics such as CEMTRO, the University of Navarra, medical centers such as Olympia de Quirón or Ripoll and the Prado Sport Clinic, specializing in traumatology and orthopedics, represent a step in the evolution of a medicine that is in great demand and for which health insurance is also registered to offer its services to the most demanding user. tracksuit.

But how do these institutions work? How do you organize to find excellence? Three legs underpin his quest for growth: health care, research, and education. Three key actions, as Dr. Pedro Luis Ripoll explained to EFE, are necessary to gain momentum towards high-profile accreditations such as those held by his organization, which has been declared a “medical center of excellence” by FIFA.

International expansion and the search for excellence

In Spain, in addition to Ripoll and Prado Sport Clinic, only CEMTRO Clinic and FC Barcelona Medical Services have this accreditation. They seem to be few, but they are many. Spain, with three medical sports organizations, is the only country, along with the United States, Germany and Japan, to have three in the list of the total 47 centers recognized by the organization headed by Gianni Infantino.

“We strive for excellence, and as such, we have been accredited as a Center of Excellence in FIFA. It is difficult to achieve this. Every five years it is necessary to present to FIFA a series of activities in all areas (assistance, research and education) at the level in order to renew accreditation what we have been doing It has been doing for many years the search for the best specialists in the world to bring them to Spain, to our centers. They come and work here “, Dr. Ripoll assured EFE.

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His organization has ten offices distributed mainly along the Mediterranean coast up to Malaga and has important offices in Madrid and Seville. And now, he is on the verge of breaking through internationally. In the summer, it will begin its expansion towards the Arab countries, where it will establish its headquarters. In Dubai and Cairo, there will be Ripoll Centers and the Prado Sport Clinic. Advanced negotiations are opening in Argentina and Saudi Arabia.

And it is that Spanish sports medicine brands are expanding internationally and is an example of work that attracts and generates talent: “Some of the best specialists in the world who have signed a contract with us work in our ten locations. Dr. Nick Van Dijk, Dr. Lassi Lempainen in Tendons and Muscles, Dr. Ricardo Casale In the hip, or the French Dr. Ripoll in pubic orthopedics, our institution is distinguished by its specialization, that is, there are specialized units in each joint. Some of the best specialists in the world.

Top-level athletes and footballers from famous Spanish clubs or from outside our borders like Manchester United or Nottingham Forest seek out quality centers like Ripoll and the Prado Sports Clinic. But they are not the only ones. The health privilege of this sports medical center, as in others, is also within the reach of ordinary citizens. In one year, they attend 40,000 consultations and treat 2,000 patients thanks to the work of more than 200 specialists.

But not all patients are part of one of the four professional first and second division teams run directly by the Ripoll Center and the Prado Sports Clinic, which together care for nearly 15,000 athletes. They also have their own insurance that allows 5,000 policies that benefit the citizen.

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“Go to our center for an operation, you can do it with an insurance of 50 euros per month. Van Dijk works for you. One of the doctor’s obligations is to make the benefits of medicines available to the entire population. This is implied in the case of a doctor. This is the case, “says Ripoll.

Reactions between public and private health

The development of new technologies and research not only benefits private medicine. Also to the public. In fact, many professionals who work in the private field also work in the public field. The investigations of one sector and another will benefit each other.

“The population is sympathetically interested in the development of sports medicine and surgery. Sports medicine, if comparison allows, is like Formula One racing. Formula One engines and cars are tested and many highly advanced technologies are developed from which the population as a whole subsequently benefits,” comments Ripoll.

“It would be absurd for a clinic to dedicate itself solely to the care of athletes. We care about athletes, of course, but the population as a whole benefits from these advances in sports medicine because the deadlines and rigor that happen in this field is demanding. That then translates to a cousin who broke his shoulder.” .

The relationship between citizens and elite athletes with the Ripoll Center and the Prado Sports Clinic is not the only one. There are many specialized institutions, and this week the latest example of collaboration between an entity and a sports medical center was presented. HM Hospitals and the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN) have announced a cooperation agreement whereby the hospital group becomes the federation’s new ‘official medical provider’.

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From now on, HM Hospitals will be responsible for medical examinations and health coverage for RFEN swimmers, water polo players and jumpers in all their disciplines. Until April 2025, it will be responsible for all medical examinations before international competitions and will establish itself as a reference center for athletes. They will debut in July, when the World Cup finals will be held in Fukuoka (Japan).

Like the rest of the sports medicine centers, HM Hospitals is also trying to attract talent. But, in addition, they think so: “We are committed to training our specialists. To this end, we have the Training Center for Vital Health Professions at HM Hospitals to provide training at the intermediate and higher level. We also have the Faculty of Science at HM Hospitals at the Camilo José Cela University Health They reported to EFE.

In addition, it has a commitment to research that addresses innovation and adherence to the latest technologies that include artificial intelligence data processing. And as in the other professional spectrum, the competition is fierce: “We are newcomers to the world of medical providers for sports federations. Each one is clearly trying to gain a foothold in the most efficient way possible.”

HM Hospitals joins a long list of institutions, centers and clinics that look after the health of elite and amateur athletes. Through research, education, and undeniable quality of care, private foundations have positioned themselves as an important part of athletes’ health. The “boom” of these centers is here to stay. And certainly, to grow more.

Juan Jose Lahuerta

Aileen Morales

"Beer nerd. Food fanatic. Alcohol scholar. Tv practitioner. Writer. Troublemaker. Falls down a lot."

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