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running their own facilities or surgical departments; understand the billing
side of surgery and have expertise in contracting; or know how to manage
medication stocks and work with supply chain management. Ultimately, they
understand the challenges of running a lean, mean surgical facility, take own-
ership in optimizing patient care and constantly strive to exceed your expecta-
tions.
First the carrot, then the stick
If you're frustrated with the performance of your anesthesia team, sit them
down and ask how you can collaborate to improve the situation. Your providers
will likely provide insightful ideas, and tapping into their expertise would give
them ownership in the process improvements you decide to enact. If your anes-
thesia team still can't contribute to the safe and efficient care that's necessary in
the outpatient setting, it might be time to bring in different providers who can
and will.
OSM
Dr. Durick (tdurickmd@gmail.com) is an anesthesiologist with Medical Anesthesia
Consultants who practices primarily at Fremont (Calif.) Surgery Center.