Dr. Levine says template-directed instrumentation eliminates the
need to bring 5 or 6 trays of conventional instrumentation into the OR
to ensure implants are placed accurately and can lead to shorter case
set-up times and room turnovers.
4. Strive for consistency
The more variables — different implants, various instruments and
rotating members of the surgical team — the greater the chance of a
less-than-stellar outcome, a critical delay or even a devastating error.
Implant standardization should always be encouraged.
"We convinced our surgeons to sit down and agree to a single ven-
dor for all of our total joints," says Barbara Gosselin, RN administra-
tor, Premier Ortho-pedics Surgery Center in Albany, Ga.
"Standardization here allowed us to reduce our instrument trays from
8 down to 4."
Standardization at St. Cloud (Minn.) Surgical Center, where Dr.
Nessler operates, includes physicians using 80% to 90% of the same
instruments and impacts how they staff ORs. The center also created
core teams to optimize communication and coordination during cases.
Not only does the ASC have a core group who handles general ortho-
pedic procedures, it also has a group that focuses solely on total joints.
"With the core grouping," says Dr. Nessler, "we never have to wonder if
we're going to walk into the OR and find strangers working with us."
OSM
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 0 9
Patients receive automated
text reminders about how
they should best prepare
for surgery, what to expect
afterward — even
physical therapy videos.
