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M A N A G E M E N T
mulary, tweaking the block schedule or changing the minimum number of cases surgeons must perform at our cen-
• Block schedule. I manage and coordinate the entire
block. As you know, the block schedule is a very dynamic
part of a surgical center. I consider the block schedule to
BUZZING There's not much anesthesiologist Phil Bilello,
MD, doesn't do at Paoli (Pa.) Surgery Center.
be real estate. Real estate is about location. Everybody's concerned about where his location will be.
It's difficult to make everybody happy. You have to tread very lightly because you don't want to hurt
feelings. Let's say we need to find space for a new surgeon who wants to come on staff. I'll approach
a surgeon who's not filling his block. "Dr. Jones, we've noticed that your volume is down. You have a
block every Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. We need to cut you back to every other Tuesday." I also
work with our scheduling staff, educating them on what kind of cases we want to do first instead of
later in the day, and how to set up the rooms.
• Pharmacy inventory. I bet no other provider does this. I handle all the pharmacy inventory and all
of the materials inventory (anesthesia circuits, airways, endotracheal tubes, spinal trays, needles and
syringes) for our center. Every day I review our pharmacy and anesthesia inventory, making sure we
have all the drugs we need, and that drugs don't expire. Every month, I order what we need. I've also
streamlined our drugs. We used to have 4 different types of muscle relaxants. Now we use one.
• Staff education. I give nursing staff educational lectures so they can earn CME credits and stay
current. I just gave a few on sleep apnea and the obese patient, how smoking affects anesthesia,
the latest fasting protocols and treatment of local anesthetic toxicity. We'll hold lectures at day's
end, either in the staff lounge or in the pre-op area.
— Philip Bilello, MD
Dr. Bilello (philb ilello@verizon.net) is president of the medical staff at Paoli (Pa.) Surgery Center.
F E B R U A R Y 2013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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Paoli Surgery Center
ter to remain on staff.
