substantial costs, both in terms of dollars and reputations lost. These
simple precautions and lessons learned could save future lives and
protect your facility from costly lawsuits.
OSM
Mr. Wong (mwong@ppahs.org) is the executive director of the Physician-
Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS). Frank Overdyk, MSEE, MD, a
staff anesthesiologist at Roper St. Francis Hospital in Charleston, S.C., Kenneth
P. Rothfield, MD, MBA, CPE, CPPS, system vice president and chief medical
officer at St. Vincent's Healthcare of Ascension Health in Jacksonville, Fla., and
Lynn Razzano, RN, MSN, ONC-C, a PPAHS consultant, contributed.
J U l y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 9
Soon after Joan Rivers went into cardiac arrest and lost con-
sciousness in August 2014 at yorkville Endoscopy, the American
Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities
(AAAASF) stripped the Manhattan GI center of its accreditation.
However, an AAAASF surveyor disputes Mr. Wong's assertion that
the agency's ventilation standard requirements weren't stringent
enough at the time of Ms. Rivers's fateful endoscopy.
"Currently and at the time of the case in question, AAAASF
standards require facilities to monitor ventilation by multiple
methods, including pulse oximetry. AAAASF ventilation standard
requirements were consistent with ASA guidelines at that time,"
says Monte Jay Goldstein, MD, surveyor for AAAASF and anesthe-
siologist at Jandee/Karadan Anesthesiology in Ramsey, N.J., in a
written statement.
yorkville Endoscopy is now accredited by the Accreditation
Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).
— Kendal Gapinski
ACCREDITOR RESPONDS
AAAASF Defends Anesthesia Monitoring Standards
