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P A I N
M A N A G E M E N T
That way, when pain or ortho docs request times, she can easily look across the
schedule for red and conflict with others using the C-arm at the same time. If
there's a conflict, a bit of scheduling diplomacy can help to keep cases moving.
Making room for pain
When you're adding pain management to your multi-specialty services, it's certainly possible to make do and even succeed by using the equipment you
already have and your facility's existing space. As our pain case volume grew
ever larger, though, we began considering the value of clinical space built
specifically to accommodate it. We needed more room for our pain procedures.
In 2008, we got the state's approval for our construction plans. The plans included adding a separate entrance, dividing an existing room into a pre-op space and
converting a large, previously unused space into a procedure room. The contractors walled off and ventilated out the construction area, working over the weekends. We hosted pain procedures in our ORs and worked a bit later than usual.
The total cost of this renovation was about $100,000. The value of this expansion would be twofold. Any pain practitioners we might recruit would, without
question, be delighted with their own entrance and patient waiting room. But
the separate waiting room and pre-op area would also provide better care for
pain patients, who tend to arrive in severe discomfort. A quiet, less-bright area
that doesn't require mixing with surgical patients eases the path to treatment.
In addition to the renovated space, we also expanded our pain management
service by hiring nurses who specialize in caring for pain management patients.
Two for the pre- and post-op area and 2 for the procedure room would go a long
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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 | O C T O B E R 2012
