Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Manager's Guide to Surgery's Orthopedic Surgery - August 2015

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 1 1 every patient, there's a large segment of the population for whom it's the perfect choice. In fact, I recently did an outpatient total joint on an octogenarian. We tend to underestimate patients, even those in their 80s. And this new approach aligns perfectly with where health care — with its increasing empha- sis on costs — is heading. Most total-joint patients don't need overnight stays. In fact, of the dozen or so patients I've talked to who've had one joint done in a hospital and another done in an ASC, without exception, they've preferred the ASC experience. The patient and the patient's family need to be part of the team. Well before the day of surgery, we provide a detailed booklet and DVD that explain the entire process. Our nursing staff continually educates patients and families, making sure expectations are clear and ensuring the support structure will be in place once the patient gets home. Complications are rare, but naturally you have to be on call and prepared if they occur. All contingencies need to be established well before the surgery, including where to send patients if they require stays longer than allowable by your local laws. That's happened fewer than 5 times in 3 years at our facility. On the day of surgery The first patient arrives at 5:30 a.m. and is escorted to pre-op at 6 a.m. The first cut happens at 7 a.m. You can't be in a rush, but you can be efficient, and you have to have the expectation that you're going to get everything done in a timely z EASY CHOICE Almost all patients are outpatient candidates, and those who've had one joint done in a hospi- tal and another done in an ASC over- whelmingly prefer the ASC experience. Mount Carmel Health System

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