6 7
M A R C H 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
they go to sleep, so its analgesic effects will kick in when the block
wears off in the middle of the night. We also instruct patients to adjust
the infusion of local anesthetic as needed to find the sweet spot between
pain and over-numbing the surgical site.
Finally, each patient is given the cell phone numbers of our facility's 3
anesthesia providers. Patients can contact us at any time with questions
about the pumps' use or the effects of the local anesthetic. Patients
rarely call, but knowing the communication lines are open once they
leave our facility is an important safeguard that gives us all peace of
mind. OSM
Dr. Hickman (
g hick man@a ndrewsinstitutesc.com
) is director of anesthesi-
ology and medical director at the Andrews Institute Ambulatory Surgery
Center in Gulf Breeze, Fla.
R E G I O N A L B L O C K S
Is Your Facility Quality Ready?
Per CMS, ASCs must now report three measures, resulting
in an annual 2 percent incentive or penalty (depending on
performance) towards their Medicare annual payment
update (APU).
Regulatory requirements drain your resources and draw your
attention away from your core services. This is where
partnering with Somnia Anesthesia can help. We assist our
clients in managing some of their most challenging anesthesia
goals, freeing them to focus on what they do best.
To learn more, download our paper, "Ambulatory
Anesthesia: Maximizing Quality in Any Setting," at
www.somniainc.com/ASCquality.
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