Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Her Loss, Their Gain - October 2019 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

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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Reading Surgery Center. Confusing, right? There are far fewer lost patients who need help finding their way now that the SurgiCenter (not the Surgery Center) added pre-admission software that sends patients text messages linking their cellphones to Google Maps, which directs them to the right facility. Not worrying about giving and getting direc- tions on the morning of surgery is a plus for patients and staff alike. Many patients nowadays appreciate receiving information about their surgeries on their phones. It makes sense then that interest in pre-admission software in steadily increasing — about 45% of Reading Hospital SurgiCenter's patients had logged into the portal 3 years ago; now, 65% to 75% of patients interact with the center online — and why you should also consider capitalizing on the technology's many bene- fits. • Patient portals. Reading Hospital SurgiCenter's software platform lets patients complete health histories online, at their convenience. "The phone tag we often played with patients was a huge dissatisfier for them," says Susan Alexander, MSN, RN, CPAN, CSSM, Reading Hospital SurgiCenter's director of nursing. "We considered hiring a nurse to handle calls in the evenings or on weekends, but weren't interested in working beyond their normal hours." Ms. Alexander says histories submitted online provide comprehen- sive views of patients' overall health, so staff can determine if they need specific medical clearance before undergoing surgery. Nurses still call patients who don't use the online portal, but the number of calls that are made has decreased significantly, according to Ms. Alexander. "We've gone from 3 full-time nurses handling pre-op phone calls to 2 full time nurses," she says. "We didn't eliminate a position. We've freed up a nurse to focus more on clinical responsibilities." • Text message reminders. The platform also automatically sends 6 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 • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9

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