1. Operating room efficiency. For surgeons to be most efficient, Dr. Curd said they need to have access to at least two ORs. The average surgery time at his center ranges from three to 15 minutes, so the goal is to leave the OR after surgery, dictate the case, talk to the family and patient and move directly to the next surgery.
2. Cross-training and staff assistance. Dr. Curd said he has an invaluable physician assistant — a relatively unusual staff addition that hand surgeons could use to improve efficiency. At the very least, Dr. Curd said, hand surgery ASCs should cross-train their staff members to improve staff confidence, loyalty and efficacy.
3. Fluid OR management. Dr. Curd noted that having a fluid OR case manager is essential to making sure everyone is on the same page. Hand surgeons and patients need to be aware of scheduling, anesthesia providers need to be engaged and surgeons need to use OR time effectively, especially in the afternoon.
4. Details and engagement. Engaging other surgeons in the vendor cost management process and viewing one’s daily cases in summary — rather than case-by-case — helps make hand surgery successful in surgery centers, Dr. Curd said.
Related Articles on Hand Surgery in ASCs:
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4 Best Practices for Expanding Your Orthopedics-Driven ASC
