M A R C H 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 1 3
• Patient flow. For efficiency's sake,
we wanted to make sure the 4 total joint
pre-op/recovery rooms were as close as
possible to the center's 4 orthopedic ORs
— some rooms are only 20 feet away
from the surgical suites. Shoulder and
knee patients take the short round trip to
and from surgery on the same surface (a
$15,000 stretcher table) they first laid
down on in pre-op. Because the surface
serves as an all-in-one surgical stretcher,
pre-op bed, mobile operating table and
recovery platform, there's no need to
transfer patients during their stay. This
increases efficiency, improves turnover
times, enhances patient comfort and pro-
motes staff safety. And because the beds accommodate so many attachments —
such as foot holders for knee replacement patients — they've been extremely ver-
satile and cost-effective investments.
• Specialized table. We spent $200,000 on an OR table that's specifically
designed for a minimally invasive anterior approach during hip replacement sur-
gery. The surgeon needs to make only 1 incision, and is able to do so without
detaching muscle from the pelvis or femur. That muscle-sparing technique leads
to the faster recoveries that are needed in the outpatient setting. Of course, the
table needs to be moved out of the OR to make room for a standard surface
needed for other orthopedic procedures. For this reason, I had a storage bay
built close by, about 20 feet away from the room. The space also stores imaging
equipment that's moved frequently in and out of the OR. The close proximity of
the storage area speeds room turnovers and reduces the risk of staff hurting
• TRENDING UPWARD Outpatient total joint case volumes will
only increase as the procedures become mainstream.
Excelsior
Orthopaedics
