J
A N U A R Y 2 0 2 1 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 5 1
to getting their facility back up and running. "We let
our patients know that their temperatures will be
taken upon arrival and that they will be asked about
travel and upper respiratory symptoms," she says.
"If they have traveled or are positive for symptoms,
their appointment will be rescheduled. Anyone
accompanying a patient during
their appointment must wait in
their vehicle to limit the number
of people in the waiting area. All
patients and staff are required to
wear masks while in the center."
Ms. Young believes you can-
not overemphasize the impor-
tance of patient education, espe-
cially during a pandemic. "We
provide patients with handouts
on our policies and the screen-
ings they undergo, and we call
patients the day after their pro-
cedures to check on them and
answer any questions they may
have," she says. "We also make
it a priority to get the word out
in the community about the
importance of colonoscopy
through local news outlets."
Smart scheduling
Before COVID-19, it wasn't
uncommon for Dr. Kim to sched-
ule screenings months in
advance. He schedules more cau-
tiously these days. "We had to
cancel 200 cases when the pan-
demic hit, which was difficult to
do," he says. "When we first
opened back up, we took it
month by month."
There is an art to scheduling
cases effectively and efficiently,
especially following a pandemic.
You must factor in the procedure
being performed, sedation and
recovery times, as well as room
turnovers, which take longer due
to the extra cleaning regimens in place during
COVID-19. In order to perform an average of 50
screenings a day, Dr. Kim hired extra staff to help
disinfect and turn over rooms.
Dr. Kim says the center takes more precautions
before appointments to help prevent case cancel-
