Add-On Cases: Friend or Foe?
You should always make room for one more case.
I
f you get
annoyed every
time a surgeon
wants to add a case
to his already over-
booked block,
you're not alone.
Add-ons can be
incredibly incon-
venient and disrup-
tive, especially
when they're cases
that the surgeon's
scheduler forgot to
tell you about — not truly emergent ones like ruptured globes,
detached retinas, testicular torsions and kidney stones.
But rather than abhor them, we adore add-ons at our 2 independent
surgery centers in Richmond, Va. On the one hand, we get paid for
performing surgeries, not for standing around. On the other, you can't
put a price on the goodwill you'll bank with your surgeons — and
your patients — when you accommodate them by gladly accepting
add-ons (urgent and non-emergent). Maybe you'll view add-ons in a
different light after reading our perspective.
Our duty and obligation
First and foremost, we see add-on cases as part of our commitment to
surgeons and patients to provide surgical care when the need is criti-
cal, not just when it's convenient.
2 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R U Y 2 0 1 8
Business Advisor
Bruce P. Kupper, MHA, FACHE
• MORE THE MERRIER You might not see it this way, but it's clearly to your advantage
to accommodate non-urgent cases when they arise.