Many of our surgeons have left the hospitals and only operate at
our centers. For example, our 4 retina surgeons operate at our ASC
exclusively: 4 days a week — sometimes 5 if there's an add-on.
Hospitals found it too expensive to maintain the equipment and the
staff's competency in retina surgery. We feel obligated to accept
their urgent cases whenever they arise — even on long weekends.
A detached retina, ruptured globe or fractured orbit needs to be
managed quickly, and the surgeons require OR staff who are com-
fortable with the procedure.
Besides ophthalmology, other specialties rely on us as well, such as
urology. There's a limited amount of time to restore blood flow to a
torsion testicle. A pediatric urologist can almost always get an urgent
case on our schedule within an hour. We can quickly care for patients
with kidney stones, either through surgery or lithotripsy. Finally, we
are a primary site for infertility procedures. Sometimes, the infertility
process results in a miscarriage, requiring an urgent D&C. If we're
going to offer infertility and GYN services, we should be prepared to
support our surgeon and patients in their times of need.
Build your reputation
Your surgeons and their schedulers will remember that you accepted
their add-on cases without protest or complaint. You want them to
think of your facility first for everything. Changing a surgeon's (and
his scheduler's) habits is very hard. If they have had a longstanding
relationship with another surgery center or hospital, getting them to
bring their cases to you takes effort. Accepting an add-on case demon-
strates your willingness to rise to the occasion and help them in a
time of need.
Believe me, surgeons will notice. I can't tell you how many times
I've heard surgeons complain about their urgent case being bumped
F E B R U A R U Y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 9
