We staff the facility with 3 nurses who receive a small stipend to
work on the weekend. They sign up to work, and we're never
lacking for volunteers. One nurse handles pre-op, another works
the procedures with the physician, and the third cares for patients
in recovery and reprocesses scopes as needed. Our receptionist,
who also agrees to work on the weekend for a stipend, opens the
facility's doors at 7:15 a.m. We run 1 procedure room, start cases
at 8 a.m. and schedule the last patient of the day at noon. The
schedule is typically full. After the day's last patient is discharged,
the staff is able to close the facility and head home around 1 p.m.
We've found that the opportunity to schedule Saturday colono-
scopies eliminates an excuse many patients use for not having this
important procedure done. In that sense, our program improves the
overall health of our community.
Room for growth
Our practice's talented marketing team promotes the Saturday
service through creative ads in a local magazine and social media
posts. We also offer patients the option when they call to sched-
ule appointments. We're meeting current weekend volumes by
hosting procedures on just one Saturday each month, but as the
demand increases, we won't hesitate to provide screenings for
patients on additional Saturdays.
OSM
Ms. Lawton (slawton@crspecialists.com) is the administrator of Colon
& Rectal Specialists in Richmond, Va.
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