Yielding maximum results from critical service lines is far from a new concept. But in today’s environment where hospitals and health systems are looking for the best bang for their buck, more is to be – and will be – expected from specialty providers. For the facilities, however, the challenge isn’t just merely asking for more from different departments. It’s actually getting them on board with your goals and objectives.
Consider a feature article in this month’s HealthLeaders Magazine, where survey results showed that 66% of respondents identified alignment with specialty physicians as a top challenge to service line adoption or expansion. 61% believed that it was a “critical success factor.” It was also noted that less than a quarter (22%) of respondents had service lines with both administrator and physician leadership. And finally, an overwhelming 98% said outpatient programs are important to service line success. Simply, integrating service lines throughout the continuum of care is of high demand.
Examining these trends through the prism of the anesthesia specialty, the expanding, perioperative role of the anesthesia department comes into sharp focus. In a March blog, the incorporation of a pre-anesthesia testing clinic was shown to have a major impact in reducing case delays and cancellations. If their current anesthesia provider isn’t doing so, facilities should begin to explore the possibility of opening a PAT clinic that could potentially save the hospital millions in lost revenue.
Another area an anesthesia provider can impact is the number of hospital readmissions. An important component to healthcare reform, hospital readmissions are a burden to facility success, especially in underserved and urban areas, where patients are more likely to use a hospital emergency room as primary care. Implementing a pain clinic, like Somnia Anesthesia did for St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, NY, will undoubtedly reduce readmissions while provide a much-needed service to the population mix.
Requiring your anesthesia provider as trusted, accountable partner throughout the continuum of care should be a mandate you demand. To read more about anesthesia’s role throughout the perioperative process, download the white paper, “Creating a Perioperative Partnership for Operating Room Managers.”