forms and let us know which patients are cleared for surgery or who
needs additional pre-op tests. The clearances or requests are sent to
our pre-assessment nurses, who call the patients to let them know
they're good to go or to follow up on concerns the anesthetist raised.
The technology has streamlined our pre-admission process and made
it incredibly effective. There's no more calling the patient, waiting for a
call back and hoping you get in touch. We also don't have to spend time
manually inputting the information the patient notes on the online form.
The technology eliminated the need for a full-time pre-assessment
nurse and we've had only one day-of-surgery cancellation since launch-
ing the patient portal in 2013 — and that was because the patient
showed up sick.
We also post patient-specific discharge instructions on the portal.
Patients can access the instructions before the day of surgery, so they
arrive at the facility better informed and can ask questions in pre-op
before sedation is administered. They can also access the instructions
when they return home, so they have a clear understanding of what to
expect and how to best care for themselves in the critical hours and
days after surgery. OSM
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Ms. Clarke (melody.clarke@surgicalinvestors.com) is vice president of clinical services at Surgical
Investors and Advisors in Johns Creek, Ga.