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PHYSICIAN RELATIONS
1 Familiar faces
Set aside 2 to 3 hours for the visits, and try to schedule them a month before the surgeon will start operating. Show him the ORs he'll be working in and the locations of the scrub sinks to give him an overview of the surgery area. Pointing out seemingly simple things — the locker room, his assigned locker, where to pick up scrubs — makes a huge difference in making him feel welcome and letting him hit the ground running.
2 Equipment planning
Meeting with surgeons well in advance of their first procedures ensures their equipment needs are ironed out and arranged for ahead of time, so staff aren't left scrambling on the day of surgery to compile needed instrument sets and working without preference cards. Break open instrument and supply packs so surgeons see exactly what they'll have to work with. Review their preference cards with them to ensure they're complete and accurate. Another reason to schedule visits 2 to 4 weeks before surgeons' first cases is you'll need that lead time to get requested equipment or instruments in house, through purchasing or loaner trays.
3 Setting expectations
When you're notified of a new surgeon bringing his cases to your center, send him a packet of information about your facility and staff, including a welcome letter (see sample); phone numbers of important contacts in the surgery department; a list of the surgical or specialty managers; a map of the facility's campus; an outline of how patients flow through the facility; how and when to enter orders; when H&Ps need to be completed; where to send patients for pre-op