When we made
our site visits, we
asked everyone
what, if anything,
they'd do differently
if they were starting
over. They all said
the same thing —
they'd do a better
job of planning for
future expansion. So
we planned ahead
and made sure we have enough space to expand to 2 ORs in case our
practice grows to 4 or 6 surgeons.
2
The right equipment. We invested heavily in the latest portable
ultrasound devices and we use them for every single access. If
you're doing an angiogram and trying to access the common
femoral artery through the groin, there's a safe zone of about 3 cen-
timeters. It's very unsafe to go in blindly, no matter how good you are,
because every anatomy is different.
Having cutting-edge ultrasound may add costs initially, but it's a
great investment, because it will minimize, if not eliminate, complica-
tions. One of the most frequent — sometimes even fatal — complica-
tions is access bleeding. Thanks to ultrasound, we haven't had any
major hematomas that required us to transfer patients to the hospital.
An added convenience, and one I highly recommend, is that our
ultrasound syncs with our EMR. Most insurance companies want
proof that you used ultrasound for certain procedures. In the past we
needed to print a hard copy record, but the syncing feature automates
5 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7
• SUITABLE SETTING Dr. Margni and his partner practice all facets of vascular surgery in their
surgical center. Only a small number of procedures need to be done in hospitals.
Vascular
Institute
of
Michigan
