ASCs need to reimagine patient flow when reopening their facilities, according to Lorrie Cappellino, RN, an ambulatory healthcare surveyor for The Joint Commission.
Five patient flow considerations:
1. Include COVID-19-related questions on the preoperative questionnaire for patients.
2. Determine whether the patient needs an escort, and if so, make the escort aware of face mask and screening policies.
3. Consider moving the front desk to the facility's main doorway to prevent potentially symptomatic patients from passing through common areas for screening.
4. Address the possibility that patients' clothes may be contaminated.
5. Implement a "clean-to-dirty workflow" for patients requiring intubation.
