A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 9
major joint repairs, adding outpatient total
joints is well within your reach. Here's what
you need to know to make it happen.
Planning and prepping
To ultimately succeed at outpatient total
joints, you need surgeons who are commit-
ted to the idea — who are willing to start the
program, who are going to build and improve
on it, and who are ultimately going to cham-
pion it. Once you have that, it becomes possi-
ble to line up the buy-in and commitment
you need from the rest of the team.
With the right care plan in place, most
patients can ambulate within a few hours of
surgery, and most want to get home as soon
as possible. My patient selection criteria for
inpatient and outpatient are very similar.
Truly sick patients — those with major car-
diac issues or seizure disorders, for example
— aren't good outpatient candidates. One
thing that will disqualify patients, at least
temporarily, is obesity. We're not afraid to
say: You're going to be a great candidate for
outpatient surgery, but first, we'd like you to
get your BMI down below 40. Most people
will do that, given a rationale. They want the
surgery to be easier and they want to
decrease the chance of infection.
Although outpatient total joints aren't for
where leaders meet, learn and grow together
Marriott Rivercenter
San Antonio, Texas
Oct. 14-16
orexcellence.com
Register Now for 3-Hour Total Joints
Pre-Conference Workshop at ORX
Nothing is hotter than outpatient total joint
replacement surgery. If you'd like to explore
adding total joints to your facility, this session
is for you. Orthopedic surgeon Mark Gittins,
DO, and Diane Doucette, MBA, RN, president
of the Mount Carmel New Albany (Ohio)
Surgical Hospital, will explain the clinical and
operational keys to replacing knees and hips,
and then getting patients ambulatory a few
hours after closing — everything from patient
selection and pain management to
reimbursement and at-home nursing care.
Register now at orexcellence.com to see Dr.
Gittins and Ms. Doucette in San Antonio.
Space is limited.
