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P A I N
M A N A G E M E N T
booming, you might consider hiring business staffers specifically to
handle pain coding and billing.)
Throughput is the key. You have to do cases efficiently and turn
rooms over quickly to ensure reimbursement keeps well ahead of case
and staff costs. We have 5 pre/post-op bays and 1 procedure room for
pain patients, with which we can easily keep the case flow moving.
After the injection, we wheelchair patients back to a bay for monitoring and nutrition. Sometimes we need to gently encourage relaxing
patients to get up and get moving, though it's a good sign that they're
enjoying relief from pain. Clearly we spoil them with comfort and care.
OSM
Ms. Casey (ccasey@northpoint surgery.com) is the administrator of
Northpoint Surgery and Laser Center in West Palm Beach, Fla.
SCRIPT SECURITY
An Easy Way to Safeguard Prescription Pads
t our fast-paced pain center, we're concerned about the security of
our physicians' individual prescription pads and the possibility that
one may "wander off." Our solution: We purchased a compact disc
carrying case and assigned each physician his own pocket.
On days when physicians are scheduled to work, we discreetly secure
their pads under a file folder at the nurses' station. We return the pads to
their pockets at the end of each day when our narcotic counts are done, and
store the CD case in a locked cabinet. This
effectively assures us and our docs that their
script pads aren't falling into the wrong hands.
Sherrie Addante, RN, BS, BA
Belmar Ambulatory Surgery Center
Lakewood, Colo.
SECURE SLEEVE A CD case is a good
place to store prescription pads.
saddante@pcoa.com
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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 2013
