urology procedures. The anes-
thesia machines will sit next to
automated medication dispens-
ing cabinets, which add another
layer to medication safety pro-
tocols.
Ms. Donnell's praise of the
facility doesn't stop at the OR
doors. "The new sterile process-
ing space is a sight to behold,"
she says. "It's large enough to
store the additional instrument sets we need to perform more
involved procedures and is outfitted with automated lifts, which elimi-
nate the risk of our reprocessing techs suffering strain injuries when
they're loading and unloading instrument trays from washers and ster-
ilizers."
Future dividends
Traditional inpatient ORs are being replaced with outpatient rooms
that can support new surgical techniques and technologies. It's a con-
tinuing evolution that coincides with the growing trend of bringing
complex surgeries to population centers instead of requiring patients
to travel to big city health systems for cutting-edge care.
"You can often get the same level of treatment in suburban New
Jersey that you would in Midtown Manhattan," says Dr. Tingwald.
Patients are beginning to take notice. Health systems are, too.
Baylor Scott & White-Temple is hundreds of miles away from Dallas,
Houston and San Antonio, but that didn't stop its leaders from recog-
nizing the importance of upgrading its ORs. The new center with the
state-of-the-art technology was strategically positioned on the health
On Point
OP
6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 9
Groundbreaking
technologies are
being introduced
and developed
in the outpatient
setting.
