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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
expensive suitable mesh, "we make sure we open very few instru-
ments, no more than we need. And we don't open irrigation tubing
and fluid unless it's needed," says another facility manager.
Preventing revisits should also be a high priority, says a hospital
director: "Educating patients prior to the procedure on postoperative
compliance" helps prevent readmissions and control costs.
At the Rocky Mountain Surgery Center, Ms. Teetzel came up with a
novel solution to yet another financial challenge. Her surgeons said
they preferred her facility to the local hospital, but they were con-
cerned about post-operative pain and wanted to provide patients with
costly pain pumps. "The pumps can really cut into the bottom line,"
says Ms. Teetzel. "Once you start taking that off of what some of the
insurance companies are willing to pay us, we're not going to be mak-
ing a profit." The solution? "We told the surgeons if they wanted to do
the case here, they could purchase the pump themselves and have it
delivered here." Not every surgeon was willing to do that, she says,
but many were.
Even when everything else is lined up properly, efficiency in general
has to be a big priority, says Ms. Rice: "Since ventral hernias are the
most difficult to treat, keeping your physicians on time so that the
staff dollars are utilized correctly is key. Down time in the OR can
lead to a large money staff drain."
And if you're going to keep everybody else in the know, you've got
to stay on top of things yourself, says a facility chief. "I keep abreast
of the latest products by welcoming trials and in-servicing surgeons.
… And I read industry journals to remain current on new products
and to stay aware of potential complications others in the market
are experiencing." OSM
E-mail
jb urg er@outpa tientsurg ery.net
.
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