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J U LY 2 0 1 5 | O U T P AT 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
W
e have medical assistants
take vitals, check blood
sugar levels and administer
pregnancy tests before a pre-op nurse
begins the patient intake process and
starts the IV. This simple tweak to our
pre-op routine alerts us sooner if a case
has to be cancelled because of patients'
comorbid conditions, and saves time if
patients have to be treated for elevated
blood sugar or high blood pressure. If all checks out, getting the
patient ready for the
OR is off to a head
start. Having a med-
ical assistant begin
the process also lets
patients feel like
they're progressing
toward surgery and
that the wait doesn't
seem as long.
Lori Cheverez,
RN, CNOR
Warner Park Surgery
Center
Chandler, Ariz.
lcheverez@uspi.com
H E A D S T A R T
Medical Assistants Save Time in Pre-op
Lori
Cheverez,
RN,
CNOR
z TEST TAKER Put medical assistants in
charge of basic pre-op tests to make the
patient prepping more efficient.
