You might stock the
drinks — by cutting
deals with a manufac-
turer or distributor to
get the beverages at a
discount or by order-
ing them in bulk off
Amazon — and bun-
dle them into the cost
of surgery in claims
sent to insurers. You
might even have
patients buy the
drinks themselves at a pharmacy or retailer. You can also consider
including the drinks in pre-op care packets, which might include sup-
plies for pre-op bathing with chlorhexidine gluconate, that patients
receive before surgery as part of an enhanced recovery program.
Mr. Gauthier wants pre-op drinks to be part of standard surgical
care and is trying to convince his hospital's administration to include
about 25 drinks in the packet of information patients receive when
they schedule surgery.
"It'll cost us around $57 per patient for the bundle, which includes
the drinks with instructions to the patient about how much and how
often they need to drink before surgery, and also a visit from a surgi-
cal navigator who explains the program," says Mr. Gauthier. "We're
just trying to figure out a way to pay for it. But patients feel better,
they go home faster, and there are less complications. Why wouldn't
we spend $57? That's cheap."
To make the financial case, develop a business plan that makes
sense for your facility based on a solid return on investment, says Ms.
3 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U L Y 2 0 1 9
• DRINK UP Ron Gauthier, CRNA, BSA, BSN, MS, director of anesthesia and periop-
erative services at Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall, Mich., wants to make carbohy-
drate-rich pre-op beverages part of standard surgical care.
Oaklawn
Hospital
