director of perioperative services, who
adds that a staff member checks on them
with phone calls the night of surgery and
the next morning. Another facility we
heard from lets a patient cab it home if the
taxi driver signs a form that notes he will
take responsibility for getting the patient
home safely, and a friend or family mem-
ber confirms over the phone that they'll be
waiting to care for the patient.
— Daniel Cook
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 9
Can unaccompanied
patients take a taxi
home after surgery?
yes 18%
no 75%
unsure 7%
InstaPoll
• FARE QUESTION Facility administrators have mixed views on discharging patients to cabs.
SOURCE: Outpatient
Surgery Magazine
InstaPoll, January 2015,
n=408
