Geneva, Ill.-based Fox Valley Orthopedic Institute President and orthopedic surgeon Vishal Mehta, MD, shared the secrets behind his practice's total joint replacement program and offered insights into improving overall workflow.
Dr. Mehta will share his expertise as a speaker at the Becker's ASC 26th Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, Oct. 24-26, 2019 in Chicago. To learn more and register, click here. For more information about exhibitor and sponsor opportunities, contact Maura Jodoin at mjodoin@beckershealthcare.com.
Note: This has been edited for style and clarity.
Question: What's something you've implemented at your center that has seen great results which other ASC administrators could do?
Vishal Mehta: We instituted a total joint program with knees and hips about 18 months ago that has been incredibly successful. Additionally, we started doing total shoulder replacements in the surgery center prior to that by about 2 years. As a sports medicine and shoulder surgeon, I spearheaded that process. To that point, we have recently started using exparel in our interscalene blocks and have seen a dramatic reduction in pain levels after outpatient shoulder surgery though that has been a very recent change.
In addition, we took several steps to improve patient experience at out center. We have:
- Developed a free coffee and snack section.
- Changed the surgery flow by placing fewer complicated cases first, leading to more on schedule case times and shortened patient wait times.
- Changed our cleaning agents which lead to more efficient turnover time.
- Opened a durable medical equipment store for patient convenience.
Have something that's worked well at your surgery center? Send it to Eric Oliver at eoliver@beckershealthcare.com.