Specialty Management Model

As our understanding of the human body and its illnesses increased in the 19th and 20th centuries, physicians began to specialize in order to better comprehend and exploit the increasingly complex and detailed knowledge of the different organ systems in the body.  A person with a health issue will commonly seek relief by visiting their primary practitioner. After an assessment of the symptoms, the primary practitioner will frequently refer the patient to a specialist for further care. However, when multiple organ systems are involved, a single specialist or sub-specialist may not understand the relationships among the different organ systems involved well enough to effectively manage the patient’s condition. This is a particular risk for patients seeking management of their chronic disabilities, and suboptimal outcomes with associated complications can result.

Team Management Model

As increasing numbers of treatments became available to manage children and adults with cerebral palsy, a team management approach began to emerge.  Orthopedists, neurosurgeons, physiatrists and physiotherapists collaborated to manage abnormal muscle tone and the resulting complications, demonstrating improved outcomes for their patients. The physicians at Function have extensive experience with team management of cerebral palsy and have used it to model a similar approach for managing other chronic disabilities of the neuromuscular system. A broad range of classical and leading-edge therapies are assessed and applied, including: