Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/636774
At the urgent care clinic that shares space with our orthopedic ASC, patients aren't usually waiting more than a few minutes for attention. And if the clinic's physicians determine that the injury needs surgical intervention, the venue for performing that intervention is quickly and readily accessible. This service, sponsored by the physician practice affiliated with our ASC, offers a critical benefit to patients in need. It also shows how and why your ortho center could provide emergency care with ASC efficiency. Consider this: The clinic's patients see whom they need to see. Its physicians are capable of delivering fast and accurate diagnosis and treatment plans. They include hand specialists and foot and ankle spe- cialists. Because precise immobilization or bracing is critical to recov- ering function and preventing skin and nerve injury, they have an orthopedic technician (a "cast tech") on staff. The continuity of care also includes a physician rehabilitation specialist, a chiropractor and 2 podiatrists. As physicians will tell you, when you're operating at a hospital, you're never quite sure whom you'll get to assist your cases. At the clinic, though, they can rest assured that each member of their nurs- ing and OR staff is trained in their specialty. Ortho-pedics is all they do, and as physician-owners, they have a say in who's hired. Maintaining an efficient staffing schedule to handle walk-in, add-on, same-day trauma care requires some flexibility, of course, particularly to cover weekday evenings and Saturdays. But convenience for patients pays off. Imaging is everything Between our 8-OR surgery center and the physicians' practice, which is located right next door, we're well-equipped for most orthopedic contingencies, so the clinic has access to diagnostic and therapeutic F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 7