firms are attempting to address by training surgical techs on how to
use the implants, or by contracting out their own assistants at an
affordable price.
Santa Rosa worked with a consulting firm to introduce surgical first
assistants (SFAs) to its total joint cases. SFAs are mainly physician
assistants and nurse practitioners who are trained and contracted out
by the consulting company to help surgeons perform total joint
replacements. Unlike a rep that cannot touch the patient in the OR,
SFAs are allowed to be hands-on and help place the implant or use
tools as requested by the surgeon. Since the introduction of the SFAs,
Mr. Ziolkowski says the joint program has seen a major increase in
OR efficiency, resulting in a cost savings of $250,000 in the first year
alone.
Vendor-physician relationships may go back years, which can make
the repless model a tough sell to your surgeons. But a SFA is able to
take over a rep's responsibilities in a practical and affordable way,
says Mr. Ziolkowski, making it a "win-win" for you and your docs.
In addition to offering an extra set of hands, Mr. Ziolkowski says his
hospital got physician buy-in by letting the orthopods take an active
role in the OR overhaul, even asking them to narrow down which ven-
dors and supplies the hospital would use. "They helped to drive the
priorities of the program," he says. "I took a step back and let them
self-govern and manage themselves, and so far it's been very success-
ful."
OSM
E-mail kgapinski@outpatientsurgery.net.
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