1. Describe how structured non-operative management upstream affects case appropriateness and patient readiness by the time a patient reaches an outpatient surgical setting. 2. Identify where advanced non-operative options—ultrasound-guided intervention, orthobiologics, and structured rehabilitation—fit within the spine, orthopedic, and pain pathway, including where supporting evidence is strongest and where it remains limited. 3. Explain how access friction—referral delays, prior authorization, and time-to-diagnosis—influences whether patients follow through on a surgical recommendation. 4. Apply lessons from a direct-access non-operative practice to improve coordination and patient communication between conservative care and procedural teams.