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Linder.
She confirms that her facility isn't a country club, despite the
providers' preference to lounge between cases. "It's a frustrating situa-
tion," says Ms. Linder. "I've expressed my concerns, so it's nothing
new."
But because she's not really their boss, Ms. Linder is limited in what
she can do and finds it difficult to demand more.
"Every article I read in this magazine is about anesthesia providers
needing to be part of the team," says Ms. Linder. "We don't have that
here. I wish we did."
Is that a big deal? "On busy days it is," she says. "If they pitched in
during room turnovers or helped with pre-op assessments, that would
facilitate everything, speed things along and even help them with their
efforts."
She's obviously more than a little frustrated with wanting more
value-added services from her providers, but she's also more than
happy with the quality care they provide, especially for the numerous
pediatric patients brought to the facility by a busy ENT practice.
For now she's left weighing the pros and cons of asking for 3 new
providers. Is the unknown worse than working with what they have
now? What's more important: Taking great care of patients or helping
to improve overall efficiencies? "It's all about the patients, says Ms.
Linder. "The other stuff is nice, but patient care is most important."
But what can be done to manage the daily frustrations? Write out all
your expectations in anesthesia agreements or policies and proce-
dures, and not just the ones centered on patient care, suggests Ms.
Linder. Do you want them to help turn over rooms or run staff in-serv-
ices? Mark that down in black and white.
The director of a California surgery center whose providers also
practice at the local hospital isn't happy with their tendencies to
A N E S T H E S I A
