simultaneously cut and cauterize tissue — for speed, as well as the
ability to do same-day parathyroid hormone (PTH) testing on the
patients. Schedule-wise, it can be tricky — especially if your physi-
cians want an additional surgeon to serve as an assistant during the
procedure. Your best bet: Schedule early, leave plenty of room for
unforeseen complications and adjust as you get used to doing the thy-
roid procedures more efficiently.
"We scheduled all of our initial total thyroids first thing in the morn-
ing, or as early as possible, so our staff could sit on the patient longer
in the PACU if need be," says Ms. Walton. The PACU, in particular, is
an area where extra training is paramount. Your staff must be able to
spot any potential complications. For example, if you need to change
a patient's dressings (showing bright red) 5 times within an hour post-
op, your PACU staff
should get the sur-
geon back in to see
what's going on.
From a financial
perspective, this pro-
cedure presents a
golden opportunity
for facilities that can
handle a high volume
of total thyroidec-
tomies. Reason:
Commercial payers
are putting pressure
on providers to move
this procedure to the
outpatient setting
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