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duce a win, surgeons will be
significantly more receptive
to change.
Who should lead the pro-
gram? Anesthesiologists are
uniquely positioned to
champion the cause,
because they're most inter-
ested in the management of
patients before, during and after surgery. But the model has to be based on the staffing
structure and resources of your facility. Identify a strong leader who's well respected
by all areas of the care team, and you'll find success.
The PSH program demands you contact patients as soon as procedures are sched-
uled, because you need the time to optimize their care and build trust with them as
they approach the day of surgery.
Quality, not quantity
Readying patients for surgery involves all aspects of surgical care, not just pain-
relieving protocols. The standardized approach afforded by the PSH model will help
further the movement of complex procedures involving high-acuity patients to the
outpatient setting.
In addition, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
wants 50% of Medicare payments based on quality and value by 2018. Guess what.
Everything I've outlined above hits on those key factors and can serve as a plat-
form for adopting this model. The future of health care won't only be about how
many surgeries you perform in a day. It'll be about patient-centered care and
shared decision-making as we evolve from quantity of cases to quality of care.
OSM
UC
Irvine
Health
z SAME PAGE Caregivers who use preset orders
work in concert to optimize patient care.
Dr. Kain (zkain@uci.edu) is chair of the department of
anesthesiology & perioperative medicine at UC Irvine Health in Irvine, Calif.
