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Richard Charles Mather III

Clinical Faculty in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery
DUMC Box 3639, Dssi, Durham, NC 27710
3475 Erwin Road, Dssi, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


Richard C. “Chad” Mather III MD, MBA is an assistant professor and vice chairman of practice innovation in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine.  He is also a faculty member at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.  Dr. Mather is a health services researcher and decision scientist with a focus on economic analysis, health policy, health preference measurement and personalized decision-making.  His current work focuses on building tools for healthcare consumerism by facilitating measurement and communication of individual patient preferences in treatment decisions.  Additionally, he has great interest in health innovation, particularly in developing new care and payment models to foster different incentives and practice approaches.  He was a health policy fellow with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Arthroscopy Association of North America. Dr. Mather received an undergraduate degree in economics from Miami University and a medical doctorate and masters in business administration from Duke, where he also completed residency training in orthopaedic surgery. He completed a sports medicine fellowship at Rush University Medical Center.  His clinical practice focuses on hip arthroscopy including both FAI and extra-articular hip endoscopy.  Specifically to the hip in addition to health service research applications he conducts translational research on biomarkers and hip instability. 

Office Hours


Monday through Friday, 8 am-4:30 pm.  Please contact our office at 919-660-2504.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Clinical Faculty in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery · 2025 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments
Clinical Faculty in the Department of Population Health Sciences · 2025 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments
Core Faculty Member, Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy · 2024 - Present Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published November 22, 2013
Rotator Cuff Surgery Saves Society Money

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Recent Publications


Elevated body mass index and obesity are associated with pain-associated psychological distress in patients with hip pain.

Journal Article Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · December 12, 2024 INTRODUCTION: Little research has investigated the relationship between musculoskeletal pain and body mass index (BMI) in the context of pain-associated psychological distress. This study aims to determine if independent associations exist between BMI, obe ... Full text Link to item Cite

Referral, enrollment, and health care use in a comprehensive patient-centered management program for osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.

Journal Article Osteoarthr Cartil Open · December 2024 OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis management programs (OAMPs) have become a more common way to deliver patient-centered care. However, there is limited information on real-world use of these programs to guide implementation, payment policy, accessibility, and scal ... Full text Link to item Cite

Decision-making in borderline hip dysplasia and concomitant femoracetabular impingement syndrome: using a discrete choice experiment to explore patient preferences.

Journal Article J Hip Preserv Surg · July 2024 Decision-making regarding surgical treatment of patients showing radiographic evidence of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) in the setting of borderline hip dysplasia (BHD) remains a challenge as there is no consensus on treatment in current lit ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Cost-Effectiveness of Advanced Imaging to Assess Rotator Cuff Integrity Prior to Shoulder Arthroplasty

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by Piedmont Orthopedic Foundation · 2021 - 2023

Hip imaging with MR

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by Stryker Corporation · 2019 - 2023

Fresh Tissue Lab Agreement

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Stryker Corporation · 2022 - 2022

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Education, Training & Certifications


Duke University · 2014 M.B.A.
Duke University, School of Medicine · 2005 M.D.