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dure about to be performed (including laterality) in order to prevent accidental wrong-sided blocks and to ensure patient safe- ty. Of course, the patient should participate in this process. At our facility, all discharged patients who undergo regional anesthesia receive at least one follow-up call from the facility's staff. They also usually receive a call from their surgeon or anes- thesiologist. This comprehensive post-op communi- cation is especially important if your facility is pro- viding catheter-placed pain pumps for discharged patients, because these patients will likely have more questions and also need more monitoring before the pump is removed. Well worth the effort I've had the good fortune of helping to introduce and build regional anesthesia programs at several of our health system's facilities, so I know first- hand how much of a gamechanger nerve blocks can be for everyone involved. The people who are most excited — aside from the patients — are the nurses. That's because patients who receive regional anesthesia are less stressed and anxious in recovery, so the nurses are able to better focus on getting them up and moving and, ultimately, sending them home more quicker. Introducing regional anesthesia to your facility does require a lot of planning. You have to be very thoughtful about creating good patient flow and a streamlined system of care. You also have to ensure you have the appropriate equip- ment and qualified anesthesia professionals to safely care for patients. In addition, you need nurses and staff who understand the ins and outs of the process, as well as surgeons who are on board and understand the overall benefit to patients. Once you have these ele- ments in place, the use of regional anesthesia becomes quite natural and truly a remarkable addi- tion to the quality care of the patient. Our facility loves regional anesthesia. It's incredi- bly valuable to our outpatient care because it helps Of course, that's not the case everywhere. However, any outpatient surgery center, large or small, can benefit from regional anesthesia as long as they've made appropriate investments in the necessary equipment and staff training. The good news is virtually all new anesthesiologists are taught the basics of ultrasound guidance and regional anesthesia during their core training. At a minimum, you'll need to add ultrasound technology, as this is the standard for placing nerve blocks. Obviously, you'll need to account for the upfront cost of this equipment. You'll also need to plan for creating an inventory of the anesthetics used during block placement. Once your nerve block program is up and running, you have to make sure you're appropriately stocked with the medications and equipment you'll be using regularly. Before creating a regional service, your entire staff must have proper knowledge and training of nerve block placement techniques as well as a practical understanding of the effects on the patient. For example, it's essential to train med- ical team members to assess patient strength and mobility after surgery to ensure they are safe for discharge. It's also crucial to have an effective communica- tion plan in place between the patient and the entire medical team that covers every aspect of the proce- dure from start to finish. This includes preoperative information, explaining the details of the nerve block, maintaining a standardized consent process, and adhering to consistent and appropriate follow- up communication after the patient is discharged. During the block placement, teams should build in a time out process to confirm the patient's name, medical records number, birthdate and the proce- 2 4 • S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 2 1 There's no doubt that regional anesthesia performed by skilled providers results in better care and superior pain relief for patients.