M A R C H 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 3
patients for surgery care for them as
they recover.
Getting joint replacement patients
up and moving soon after surgery is
one of the keys to preparing them for
same-day discharge. Our nurses
expressed concerns that standard-
sized post-op areas in most surgical
facilities don't have enough open
floorspace for patients to ambulate
safely and confidently. That's why
we'll create a 450-square-foot physi-
cal therapy area adjacent to our
recovery bays. There, physical therapists will guide joint replacement
patients through mobility exercises and teach them the basic skills
they need to master — getting up and down from a seated position
and walking up and down stairs — before we discharge them.
Patients who meet discharge criteria will exit the facility directly from
the physical therapy area.
• Expansive ORs. The facility's 600-square-foot standardized surgical
suites will function as multipurpose spaces where our surgeons can
perform a wide range of procedures, from basic knee arthroscopies to
complex hip arthroplasties.
We didn't skimp on size when designing the ORs, supersizing them
in order to give surgical team members more room to maneuver
around the additional equipment — C-arms, mobile fluid waste man-
agement units and robotic platforms — we'll need to perform
increasingly complex joint and spine procedures. Each room will
house a robust IT system that will support electronic medical records
and inventory management software. The ORs will also include adja-
Collaboration
has been our
greatest tool
during
construction
of the
new facility.
