Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1499344
21 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING 3 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING Dr. Mesrobian offered the example of peripheral nerve blocks, which are important and routine at ASCs. "You need an anesthesiology team that can do those well before the actual start time of the case," he said. "When the surgeon arrives, he or she should be able to walk in and answer any last questions for the patient and then head to the operating room." Any downtime in the operating room is wasted time for an ASC. The goal is to minimize turnaround time, which includes the amount of time it takes to treat one patient, get the room ready for another procedure and prepare the next patient for surgery. "We strive to perform as many processes in parallel as possible in anesthesiology," Dr. Mesrobian said. "By doing things in parallel, rather than in sequence, we can minimize downtime between cases." These best practices lead to less time in the operating room, and for patients, less time under anesthesia and less exposure to narcotics — all of which improve clinical outcomes and patient safety. "Our objective is to ensure that patients feel that their pain is well controlled, but they also are alert and don't feel nauseous," Dr. Mesrobian said. "In orthopedic surgery centers, in particular, you want patients up and ambulating as soon as possible so they can start their rehabilitation. Anesthesia care — especially pain control and the minimization of clinical complications — is a huge contributor to a patient's overall outcome." Choosing the right anesthesiology partner promotes ASC growth Anesthesiology teams impact ASC growth in multiple ways. They directly influence the business by providing sound clinical care that improves patient outcomes and enables patients to be discharged in a timely manner. Ensuring operational efficiencies reduces room turnover time, so ASCs can perform as many procedures as possible. Anesthesiologists also have an indirect effect on the success of ASCs by contributing to patient and surgeon loyalty. "When an ASC operates well and has good anesthesiology leadership, that reputation gets around," Dr. Mesrobian said. "Other surgeons hear about it and patients share their experiences with their friends. That's very important because ASCs are very dependent on referrals from the community. It's essential that anesthesia groups contribute to generating goodwill and a sound reputation for ASCs." Good anesthesiologists or anesthetists view surgeons as their partners in care. This partnership is based on communicating effectively, developing standard protocols and contributing to value- added steps that promote efficiency in the clinic. "Anesthesia teams must participate in the management of the ASC and build surgeon partnerships," Dr. Mesrobian said. "It's the little things like setting protocols and policies, meeting regulatory requirements and contributing beyond simply giving patients anesthesia care." Conclusion ASCs continue to grow, not only in terms of the volume of cases they handle but also the types of procedures they perform. Open-minded and innovative partners in anesthesiology will contribute to the ongoing success of ASCs. "The cases handled now in the ASC setting, like joint replacements, spine surgeries and even cardiac catheterizations wouldn't have even been considered 10 years ago," Dr. Mesrobian said. "Today, many procedures can be performed in an ASC with the right patient selection and best practice protocols around anesthesia care. The key is for anesthesiologists to be collaborative, open- minded and willing to consider new approaches and procedures."