Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Is Your Data Secure? Outpatient Surgery Magazine - November 2017

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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state. Some of what we do wouldn't be possible otherwise. Take ante- rior lumbar interbody fusions, for example. It's much easier to do these cases with a 23-hour option. A vascular surgeon collaborates with the spine surgeon to gain access to the spine and to move the vessels, if necessary, so we can do the procedure with a higher level of safety. Surgery centers in every state have the potential to operate with extended hours Anyone can schedule fairly complicated cases early in the morning and keep patients until 8 or 9 p.m., if necessary. That opens up a lot of possibilities. 3 Patients have to get it For outpatient spine to work, patients have to clearly under- stand that you're not running a hospital — that from the moment patients arrive for surgery, the emphasis is on moving them through the process safely, efficiently and quickly. Patients need to know they're an active participant and they're going to be out of recovery quickly, and walking and sitting up in a chair a short time later. We reassure them, of course. It's a big surgery, we say, and this is how we're going to keep you comfortable and control your pain. And we never promise they're going to be pain-free. Educating family members is essential, too. When you have a patient who's on board, you can't have her husband saying, "Don't move. Don't get out of bed. Oh my gosh, you need more medicine. I can't take her home like this." Patients who understand and trust the process are engaged and motivated. But they also need coaches. When they're sore, they need someone to say: You're doing great. Let's get you out of bed and into the shower. Patients aren't just happier; they're also less vulnerable to infections. Fear and anxiety lead to immobility and pain. You can dra- matically reduce that with education. 5 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7

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