8 S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E M A R C H 2 0 1 7
Minnesota, and the competition is looking to keep up with us.
Smart design
During the planning phase, we considered the entire surgical day and examined
it from a process improvement standpoint. We broke down every aspect, from
how patients arrive to ensuring their comfortable and efficient recovery. Here
are a few key features that we made sure to include in the final design.
• Optimal workflow. We plotted how staff and patients would move through-
out the facility and designed the layout with the shortest possible distance
between pre-op, the ORs and the recovery area. The goal was to limit the num-
ber of steps the surgical team takes on a daily basis and to minimize the amount
of time they spend walking around instead of caring for patients. We also includ-
ed touchdown spaces — small workstations — where surgeons can stop
between cases to complete dictations, make phone calls or check their notes.
• Ready for regional. The private pre-op rooms were designed without
grounded equipment and are big enough for staff to perform regional blocks,
which are a staple of our advanced pain management protocols. Nurses wheel
in mobile computers to check in patients and update their records. They then
bring in an ultrasound machine and a cart loaded with the supplies needed to
administer blocks. All of the equipment fits easily on either side of the
patient's bed. Blocks are performed in the pre-op room, so OR time isn't taken
up and cases start on time.
• Room for growth. One of the major orthopedic practices in Minneapolis
began an outpatient total joints program in 2008, so we knew the cases could be
done in a surgery center setting and designed our facility accordingly. Each OR is
big enough — 650 square feet — to handle joint replacement cases, which we'll
begin hosting within the year. The ORs are also large enough to handle complex
spine cases, which are beginning to shift to the outpatient setting. Every room is
filled with mobile equipment that can be easily flipped between left and right
configurations, because we wanted the rooms to be able to accommodate any
