expedite recovery and minimize complications. The goal is to have less
impairment of patients, less of an insult with the operation. And we
have better long-term clinical outcomes. We know, for example, that if a
patient gets a blood transfusion, it affects their chance of survival. Or if
there's an infection, no matter what kind, it's going to negatively impact
the chance of survival associated with any kind of cancer."
The ERAS approach also saves money by decreasing length of stay
and readmissions, says Dr. Rosemurgy, and can reveal other potential
money-saving efficiencies. "We reduced our infection rate by 75% and
saved the hospital about $400,000 a year by getting rid of nasal swab
cultures," he says. "Instead of testing individual patients, we just went
with the assumption that everyone has MRSA and treated them
accordingly." OSM
E-mail jburger@outpatientsurgery.net.
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