Ep. 110: Richard Parker – Life Safety: What Admins Need to Know
Here’s what to expect on this week’s episode. 🎙️
On this week’s episode of This Week in Surgery Centers, we sat down with Richard Parker from ACHC to unpack what life safety really means for ASCs—and what surveyors are looking for when they walk through your doors.
Here are six highlights from our conversation.
✅ Documentation matters—logs for monthly inspections (exit signs, fire extinguishers, generators) must cover 12 months and be ready at all times.
✅ Paper or digital logs are fine—but make sure all staff know how to access them.
✅ The #1 deficiency? Generator testing. Weekly, monthly, and sometimes annual load bank testing is required depending on your monthly results.
✅ Leadership turnover can lead to gaps in compliance. Make sure history isn’t lost with new team members.
✅ Fire exit drills are often overlooked but critical—and they can be planned.
✅ ASC admins usually oversee life safety. A committee isn’t required, but clear ownership is.
Catch the full episode to learn how to avoid the most common survey pitfalls and create a culture of safety.
Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to this week in Surgery Centers. If you are in the ASC industry, then you are in the right place every week. We’ll start the episode off by sharing an interesting conversation we had with our featured guest, and then we’ll close the episode by recapping the latest news impacting surgery centers.
We’re excited to share with you what we have, so let’s get started and see what the industry’s been up to.
Erica: Hi everyone. Here’s what you can expect on today’s episode. Today’s guest is Richard Parker, associate Director of Life Safety and Physical Environment at A CHC, the Accreditation Commission for Healthcare. We haven’t spent much time on this podcast yet diving into life safety, so I’m excited to have Richard here today to break it all down for us.
We talk about what life safety includes, what surveyors are really looking for, how to document properly and the most common deficiencies, aach HCCs during surveys.
In our news recap, we’ll [00:01:00] touch on the latest in a SC tech, anesthesia related challenges and ways to streamline the PACU experience. And of course, we will wrap it up with a feel good story. This one’s about how dogs are helping in the fight against cystic fibrosis. And lastly, the ask A conference is just two weeks away.
So if you haven’t registered yet, online registration actually closes this Friday, April 18th, so now’s the time to register. If you have not yet, HSC will be there at booth number 3 0 3 right up front in the exhibit hall. So please stop by to say hello. Grab a copy of our state of the industry report, take a quiz to win a prize, and check out all of our latest solutions.
We hope to see you there. And with that, I hope everyone enjoys the episode, and here’s what’s going on this week in surgery centers.
Hi Richard, welcome to the podcast.
Richard: Hey there. Good morning. [00:02:00]
Erica: Can you please share a little bit about yourself, uh, with our listeners and also your a SC experience?
Richard: I. You bet. So my name is Richard Parker. I’m with a company called A CHC. We are an A SC accreditor, uh, based out of North Carolina. Uh, I’m actually here in Tucson, Arizona and lived here for most of my life.
Uh, in my role here at A CHC. I’m the Associate Director for life Safety and the Physical Environment, and I’ve been with a company full-time for about three years. And had been a part-time surveyor for five years prior to that.
Erica: Very cool. Uh, well thank you so much for, for sharing all of that, and I’m really excited to have you on today to cover a topic we have not covered yet, which is life safety.
So let’s just get right into it. What does life safety encompass in an a SC setting?
Richard: All right, so that’s a pretty [00:03:00] broad question when you really dig into it. So the life safety is talking about the life safety code, uh, which basically addresses fire safety within a facility and the life safety code.
Covers lots of different occupancies. It could be anything from a doctor’s clinic, like a business occupancy to a healthcare occupancy, which would be a hospital and everything in between. And so life safety code has two chapters for ambulatory healthcare occupancy, whether it’s existing or new, and that’s where we get.
That’s kind of the starting place for how we decide what we’re gonna survey for an A SC when it comes to life safety. And then where the, the question kind of expands is that the Life Safety code also has what’s called a reference chapter, and that’s where it references all other versions of code. I’ll give you an example.[00:04:00]
An A SC will typically have a backup power system, such as a diesel generator, and so the life safety code says if you have a diesel life or diesel generator, you’re going to refer to a. FPA one 10, the 2010 edition. So it’s like you get the life safety code and it’s a pretty thick book, but then once you look at the reference chapter, it’s like you just opened up a library of code.
So it’s a lot bigger than just life safety.
Erica: Sure. And how do agencies like CMS and yours and other accrediting bodies influence life safety requirements?
Richard: Well, we get a lot of our influence from CMS of course, uh, especially when it comes to our deemed program. And so the deemed program means we are surveying in place of CMS and they have accredited us with a deemed status to say that, yes, your survey [00:05:00] process is equivalent to the CMS process.
Or at least meets the requirements of the CMS process. And so when it comes to the life safety code, uh, CMS adopts versions of the Life Safety Code and says, this is what we want you to survey entities to. So in this case, when they said, we are adopting the Life Safety Code, they told us we’re going to adopt the 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code.
And that’s where you’re going to survey all the ASCs Now. I’m sure your audience is gonna be curious because 2012, that’s like 13 years ago. I
Erica: was just thinking that.
Richard: So CMS, they actually made that decision in 2016. And, uh, so in 2016, they officially adopted the 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code. And prior to that, up until 2016, we were [00:06:00] using the 2000 edition of the Life Safety Code. So it doesn’t happen often where CMS is ready to move on to the next edition and.
For that reason, we’re still on the 2012. And if you kind of look or think about that cadence where we adopt, we moved away from 2000 Life Safety Code in 2016. It may still be a few years before we progress to a later edition of code. And so when I spoke with CMS about this, one of the things they said was we look at current code to see if there is a significant change to the code.
Or is it a better, or I guess, equivalent requirement that keeps our facilities safe? And so for an example, uh, one of the new code requirements has to do with exit lights. And in the current code or 2012 code, it says you have to inspect those every [00:07:00] 30 days. And in the later edition it, that 30 day requirement is no longer there.
And so that would be a lessening of the requirement. And so when I asked CMS about that, they said, well, we don’t feel like that addition of the Life safety code actually makes ASCs or hospitals safer. So we’re not ready to go there yet. And so that was just kind of a glimpse into the way they think about it.
Uh, so although the CMS requirements are pretty dated, um, it’s something that I hope everybody’s pretty well used to by now, since it’s been in place for almost a decade. I.
Erica: Yeah, I guess there’s no excuse not to be, be familiar with them if you’ve been around for 20 years and not much has changed. Um, that’s
Richard: right.
Erica: But going back, just to use that example you had just shared about, you know, testing the exit lights every, um, 30 days. What does the documentation process look like for the surgery center?
Richard: [00:08:00] Yeah, it’s really pretty simple. I typically will see this in a log, and normally it’s done by hand. Uh, so you would have a list of your exit lights, uh, or exit signs on your log.
And it’s just a visual inspection. So the inspection is really quite simple. You’re just making sure that the, uh, lamps are still good, that the sign is lit up. Then you move on to the next one. So, you know, a typical a SC may have less than a dozen exit signs and so on, less than a sheet of paper. Uh, you would have your exit signs listed and was it, um, tested, pass or fail, check off, pass or fail, and you’re good to go.
Uh, so that can be pretty simple. Um, I usually see these. Well, I should say I sometimes see these logs combined with other functions. So for example, another monthly function is an inspection of your fire extinguishers. And so [00:09:00] some people will put, you know, exit signs on the top half of their log and fire extinguishers on the bottom half, and basically killing two birds with one stone while they’re doing that activity.
And so the fire extinguishers is very similar. It’s just. You know, you’re inspecting it to make sure the gauge is in the green, that it’s hung properly, and then you’re, you’re basically moving on to the next, that’s what you’re checking on monthly. So both are pretty easy visual inspections. Uh, ASCs move tho through those pretty quickly.
Erica: Sure, yeah. I’m picturing when I go into public bathroom and there’s the laminated sign on next to the exit door, if you know who, who cleaned the bathroom last or when it was, you know, last looked at. So very similar to that.
Richard: In a way it can’t be a, the dry erase, you know, type thing. Sure. It would have to be a documented log.
So during a survey we would go back to the last 12 months at minimum and make sure that you’ve been checking those off every month. [00:10:00] And when we see a gap, that’s where a finding occurs. So the documentation has to be maintained. Um, and then that’s basically what we’re gonna review because. If you only have that laminated sign, we can only go back one month and we’ve gotta see all 12.
Erica: Sure. And as a surveyor, would you recommend that, um, kind of hand log approach or would you prefer to see, um, like a, a digital version somewhere? I.
Richard: Uh, our company, uh, at A CHC, we accept both, and I think most accreditors do. Uh, so if you have an electronic system for tracking these, that’s not a problem. Um, uh, uh, just kind of a word of advice.
Uh, make sure that the person who maintains the electronic system has a backup person. Um, because I’ve gotten into some situations where. The person is on vacation because our surveys are an unannounced, and [00:11:00] if the backup doesn’t know where to find stuff, then that electronic system fails you. Uh, the other thing I’ve seen with the electronic version is, and this was in a hospitalized surveyed where the facility manager really wasn’t, um, as uh, I guess practiced in accessing their documents.
And so it’s like the stress, the stress of the survey is already pretty high. And then when you can’t find something that you know, is there. It just kind of tends to snowball on you. And so practice using the system, practice it with your backup, uh, just to make sure that you can, uh, access the electronic system during a survey.
Uh, that’s why as a personal choice, I always went with paper just because I could always put my hands on the paper. And so that’s, either way is acceptable. Uh, it’s just kind of off to you.
Erica: Sure. Yeah, that makes sense. Switching gears a little bit, what are some [00:12:00] common deficiencies and risks that you see?
Richard: Well, in the life safety chapter, uh, I mentioned that there’s lots of referenced, uh, code in that chapter, or excuse me, that code. Uh, so for example, emergency generators. Um, what I find is that there’s a lot of a SC folks that they know they have a generator, but they aren’t really familiar with the code.
And as expected, you would rely on your vendor to make sure it’s being maintained properly. And so there’s a kind of a gap in knowledge of what the code requirements are, what the frequencies of testing are. When we wrote our standards for the life safety chapter, we tried to incorporate those requirements into our standards just so that it would be easier for the A SC folks to understand, here’s what I have to do weekly.
Here’s what I have to do monthly. This is an annual requirement. So hopefully that helps folks. But, uh, what we [00:13:00] find is that, uh, ASC sometimes don’t know what they’re expected to do. And so we see most of our findings in life safety have to do with the emergency generator testing and inspection. So, for example, there’s a visual inspection every week, and then there’s a monthly load test.
Uh, there’s, it goes on to an annual, uh, fuel quality test and. It’s another one of those things where you have to know the code. Um, there may be a annual load test requirement, and unfortunately it’s one of those answers that it always comes up. I’ll get a question. Do we have to do the annual load bank test?
And my answer is, it depends. People hate that answer, but that’s where a lot of the stuff comes from with the life safety code. And so I try to work with the A SC and say, okay, well let’s figure this out together. And so like in that example, an annual load bank test would be [00:14:00] required if the monthly test did not meet the 30% rule for its load.
And so then it gets into the question, well, how do I calculate the 30% of kilowatts. My generator. And so there’s a little bit of math that goes into that, and then it’s basically the ASCs responsibility to prove to us that it met the 30% requirement, or we’re gonna do the annual test, the low bank test.
And so it kind of puts some of the burden on the a SC, you know, a surveyor is not there to do math. So the a SC needs to do the math and prove that yes, they’re meeting the requirement. So I would say the generator is probably one of the, the main deficiencies we see. And another reason I think I see that, or at least my perception is, has to do with some of the turnover with leadership at ASCs.
Uh, so I see that in hospitals too, where the, the leadership [00:15:00] turnover, uh, especially in the five years since Covid started, there’s been quite a churn of leadership turnover and so there’s also a three year requirement for generators. And if your a SE administrators been there for one year, they don’t know the past history.
They haven’t thought to look at it yet. And then we find a gap when we come in for survey. So there’s a handful of things like that that I think has to do with some of the turnover.
Erica: Yeah, that’s actually a perfect segue. Who oversees life safety requirements internally? Is it an admin, a committee?
Richard: I rarely see it as a committee. Usually there is a designated person. Okay. So it could be the a SE administrator or the office manager. Um, you know, it, it’s really not specified by us. All we require is that you do the work. So, um, [00:16:00] typically it would be someone in charge of that program for the A SC. Uh, so often, uh, I say most often I see the a SC administrator take responsibility for it.
And so that could be a nurse or a business manager or whoever, but, um, rarely I see that as a, a group function of a committee. Just to give you a little bit different perspective on it, uh, I would see the same, same way in a hospital, even though it’s a little bit more complex than an a SC, there’s usually one person assigned to it.
So that may be the facility manager, uh, in smaller hospitals or, uh, if the hospital’s large enough, they may have a designated safety officer. And that’s their whole job. Uh, so it kind of depends, uh, based on the size of the hospital. But in an A SC, it’s typically the administrator.
Erica: Got it. And how should a SC admins train their staff, or I, let me rephrase.
Whoever is in charge of life safety, [00:17:00] how should they, uh, train their staff on, on what they need to know?
Richard: Well, I think there’s a couple of things you can do. Uh, one of the, the main tools is through fire drills. Uh, so there’s fire safety components in the A SC that work with the fire drill process. So for example, um, during a fire drill, you could have staff actually activate a fire alarm pole station.
They go over and pull the pull station so that now they have been trained on where the pull station is and they know what it’s gonna do when you pull it. So that’s part of the training. And then, uh, going through the process of how do you respond to a fire. So typically what we’ll see is most folks use the race acronym.
So rescue, alarm, confine and extinguish. Uh, so you rescue anybody in danger. You activate the alarm, you confine by closing doors. And then if you [00:18:00] can extinguish if when it’s small enough or you evacuate the building, it kind of depends on the situation. So that’s one of the tools. Uh, the other one is, and I see this is another one of those things that falls into the common deficiencies, is the fire exit drill.
So the fire drills are what’s required in the life safety code. Another code that’s referenced by that is NFPA 99. The healthcare facilities code. So this healthcare facilities code is specific to healthcare facilities. It’s the only code from NFPA that only does healthcare facilities, and in it, it talks about a fire exit drill, which would be performed in an operating room as if there was a fire.
On or in a patient. So, you know, obviously those types of events can happen. We’ve got flammables in there. We’ve got, uh, sources of ignition with [00:19:00] a laser or a Tery device. So there’s lots of different ways of. Something going wrong with that. So I know we’ve got kind of a timeout procedure to make sure that we’re doing things fire safe and as you know, right, uh, procedure in the right location, all of that goes into pre-procedure.
Uh, but also doing an annual fire exit drill kind of trains everybody on what their role is with a fire drill. Uh, and I’ll, so I’ll give you an example on that one specifically. Uh, so with the fire exit drill, you’ve got. The anesthesiologist in control of oxygen supply to the patient. Which in this case would be oxygen supply to the fire as well.
Then you’ve got the surgeon who would typically have the source of ignition in their hand. Uh, so that would be the tery device or a laser. And then you’ve got the rest of the staff that’s kind of controlling the flammable materials in the environment. So it’s kind of a, a team approach [00:20:00] to. The place is fire safe.
The procedure is fire safe, and uh, if there is an actual fire in or on the patient. What is your process for controlling that? Uh, so that would be something that you train everybody on. Uh, that is one drill that does not have to be unannounced. Uh, it can be, uh, a planned event, let’s just say you. This is gonna be your Christmas time event.
Uh, so every December you train the staff, here’s what we do. And then you go through the exercise with, uh, the surgeon and your anesthesiologist and your staff, and you kind of walk ’em through, this is what we do if we have a fire on a patient. So those are really good ways of training your staff. Uh, the other way is, um, just having some conversations about kind of the why behind we do things.
And I know this is kind of a tough spot because just like when a [00:21:00] clinician, uh, so I had an injury to my finger, a clinician was saying, okay, well that looks like an uls. And you’re, you’re talking a different language. I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Same way, uh, when we get into life safety, sometimes it probably feels like we’re talking a different language.
So I would encourage getting involved, like, I think this session is great just as a start to introduce life safety ideas. Uh, so start to kind of shore up that knowledge of what we’re talking about when we talk about life safety. And I’ll give you an example of that. Uh, so, you know, we survey ambulatory surgery centers and there’s a difference between an ambulatory surgery center and an ambulatory healthcare occupancy as defined by the life safety code.
And so that differentiation can confuse people. So an A [00:22:00] SC, uh, it could encompass the, the surgical space, which would include pre and post-op and a business function, which could be the business office, your medical records, your registration, kind of the front side of the, the surgery center. And it’s possible you have two separate occupancies.
So the front of the house could be your business occupancy, and then the back of your house is ambulatory healthcare occupancy. But as a whole, that is an ambulatory surgery center, or they could be the same. You may not have a separate business occupancy. It may all be built under ambulatory healthcare occupancy, both as acceptable.
But that is really kind of confusing when you actually say it out loud. It’s like,
Erica: I’m confused, Richard.
Richard: I’m saying ambulatory healthcare occupancy and you’re hearing me say Ambulatory surgery center and it’s not the same. So there’s differences like that, that it’s almost like talking a different language, I think.[00:23:00]
Erica: Sure. Yeah. And, and I do think at least, yeah, for the staff piece of it, if you’re, you know, your first job out of. Nursing school or med school is in an A SC, I feel like you’re just so clinically focused. ’cause that’s what you just spend all of your time, you know, learning that you kind of forget or it’s just not top of mind.
All of these other things that go into the job and go into keeping the patient safe.
Richard: That’s right. Yeah. And actually it’s, it’s one of the things that I’m working on myself. Um, ’cause I, you know, I try to have these conversations. We have a pretty personal relationship with our ASCs. And so I’ll get questions, we’ll get on a call and so we’ll sort stuff out over the phone or on teams.
Um, another thing you, you asked about staff training. Um, you know, I just started a webinar series earlier this year specifically for [00:24:00] asc, and it is exactly what we’re talking about here. It’s like, how do I, uh, help folks understand. You know what I’m talking about when I say this is what we’re looking for.
Um, and it’s, you know, our, our, uh, quarterly webinars is not just specific to A CHC. I’m trying to make it so that it’s a broad audience so that, you know, if someone else wants to tap into that and see what’s going on, uh, we’re trying to help you out.
Erica: Yeah, please send me the links to that and I’ll make sure to include it in the episode notes.
So if anyone listening wants to, you know, keep, uh, keep learning, they can.
Richard: You bet.
Erica: Alright, Richard, we do this every week with our guests. What is one thing our listeners can do this week to improve their surgery centers?
Richard: Well, I think being intentional, uh, you know, this really wasn’t talking about disaster readiness so much, but, uh, that’s another area I see a [00:25:00] SC struggle with is disaster preparedness. And so it is sort of all connected because, you know, a fire in an A SC would be a disaster. Um, but kind of polishing off those disaster plans, you know, your fire response plan, uh, I think is pretty unique in an A SC.
So kind of take those, uh, ideas I mentioned earlier in mind where you’ve got a fire drill and you’ve got a fire exit drill. And so when we talk about a fire response plan for an A SC. The responses are going to be different for those two types of fires. So if you’ve got a fire in your waiting room, that race acronym I talked about is the perfect application for how you respond to that.
But race doesn’t make as much sense in the or. So, you know, look up the, another good resource for this is with A ORN. You know, they talk a lot about fires and operating rooms and kind of that triangle of you’ve got the. The source of [00:26:00] ignition, the oxygen and the fuel and how each person in that environment controls their part of it.
Um, so make sure that your fire response plan really kind of addresses both instead of just kind of an all encompassing plan.
Erica: Perfect. Thank you so much for coming on today. I learned a ton and we really appreciate it.
Richard: I’m glad you asked me. Have a great day.
Erica: As always, it has been a busy week in healthcare. So let’s jump right in. At the A SC News Investment in Operations Conference a few weeks ago, they held a panel on a SC technology trends. The very short summary from the panel is that technology is transforming healthcare from ORs to admin offices, but many ASCs are still slow to adopt tools like EHRs and ai.
Here are some of the key takeaways in more detail. Tanzi Stewart, CEO of Texas [00:27:00] Health Surgery Center Park Hill says ASCs lag behind hospitals because they’re not held to the same regulations without that pressure, the decision to implement EHRs often comes down to cost first benefit. Max Gregory of Integrity Healthcare IT Solutions encourages centers to think long term.
Sure, there’s an upfront cost, he said, but six months in. How much more efficient could your workflows be? Still resistance is real. Many a SC nurses have past experience with clunky hospital EHRs and don’t really wanna repeat that experience. And for admins with tight budgets and staffing shortages, vendors must really prove real value quickly and also prove how they’re going to help with support and implementations and all of that.
Management companies, of course add another layer as they’re often focused on standardization and data collection, sometimes at odds with the day-to-day needs of center staff. But tools like cloud-based scheduling and billing can drive better data and performance. And the sentiment on AI [00:28:00] was that it’s promising but not a silver bullet.
It can help automate repetitive admin tasks and coding freeing staff to focus on patient care. But as Stewart pointed out, AI will never replace our nursing care. So what’s the takeaway for those of us who are not able to attend the camp?
So what’s the takeaway for those of us who are not able to attend the conference and listen in on this panel? Tech adoption is growing, but at different paces. A SC leaders should prioritize tools that streamline operations without losing sight of patient care. And it’s important to look past the upfront costs and focus on long-term efficiency, staff support and systems that actually work at the ground level.
Alright, let’s talk about anesthesia. I feel like every week or every time I do the news, we are either talking about AI or anesthesia. Definitely two hot topics right now. We’ve already covered ai, so let’s talk about anesthesia. Scott Mayer, CEO of [00:29:00] ambulatory anesthesia care, shared how his organization is helping ASCs tackle some of the biggest anesthesia related challenges today.
So first shortages, right? Anesthesia shortages still remain a major issue with demand rising. He says it’s all about balancing physician-led models with creative staffing, whether that means certified anesthesia assistants or nurse anesthetists without sacrificing safety or quality. He also shared, it’s all about figuring out what models actually work in today’s environment, we need more coverage without letting standards slip.
Second is reimbursement. So on Medicare reimbursement, Scott encourages ASCs to rethink how they account for anesthesia services rather than treating all anesthesia billing, the same center should consider whether Medicare cases require separate financial support. Scott said if you want to serve more Medicare patients, which is great, you may need to offset the lower reimbursement rates [00:30:00] with stipends for anesthesia providers.
Now obviously end quote, this is me. Now, obviously stipends can be super expensive, but it might be one of those you need to spend money to make money situations. And then third, recruitment and retention. When it comes to finding anesthesiologists and keeping the ones you do have, Scott says, autonomy and team culture are key.
Many providers, many anesthesia providers want more control in an increasingly corporate healthcare landscape, and you can respond with a model that supports independence while fostering a sense of community. So stay ahead. A SC leaders must meet anesthesia providers where they are by offering flexible schedules, autonomy, and clear financial planning for Medicare patients.
If you’re struggling to integrate your anesthesia billing into your surgery center billing, or really get a hold on that, or if you simply want to make it more clear for your patients, HSC actually has a wonderful solution called HSC Clarity that can definitely help [00:31:00] you out. All right. Third story.
Recovering from a total joint procedure like a hip, knee, shoulder, or ankle replacement, requires more than just a successful surgery. Steamboat Surgery Center in Colorado calls it, oh,
Steamboat Surgery Center in Colorado calls it a well-oiled process. Rooted in standard.
Okay, that’s what I need to weave in there. Steamboat Surge? Nope. Just in case.
Steamboat Surgery Center in Colorado calls the recovery process a well-oiled machine that is rooted in standardization, teamwork, and clear communication. They share that before discharge, patients must hit five key milestones. Manageable pain, no significant nausea. Ability to walk with support, understanding post-op instructions, and having meds in hand.
Much of [00:32:00] that starts in the PACU where nurses prep by reviewing the patient’s health history and surgical notes before the patient even arrives. Sarah Smith, a nurse at Steamboat Surgery Center, uses a structured handoff process, monitors vital signs, closely includes family in the discharge conversation and works with PT and OT to get patients mobile, sometimes even practicing stairs if needed.
She also emphasizes the balance between rest and mobility post-op to prevent complications. Dr. Alexander Menninger, who also works with the US Ski team, designs pre-op plans that include patient education rehabilitation. Yeah. I don’t really like where I’m going with this.
All right. Third story. Let’s talk about what it is like for a patient who is recovering from a total [00:33:00] joint procedure like a hip, knee, shoulder. Alright. What’s happening?
All right. Third story. Let’s talk about what it is like for the patient and for the surgery center when you have someone who’s recovering from a total joint procedure. So that can include hip, knee, shoulder, ankle recovering.
Okay. One more time. All right. Third story. Let’s talk about the recovery process. From a total joint procedure, a successful recovery requires more than just a successful surgery. So Steamboat Surgery Center in Colorado calls their recovery process a well-oiled machine that is rooted [00:34:00] in standardization, teamwork, and clear communication.
Obviously, you wanna make your recovery process for your patients as repeatable and streamlined as possible. So they shared that before discharge, patients must hit five key milestones, manageable pain, no significant nausea, ability to walk with support, understanding post-op instructions, and having their meds in hand.
They said that much of that starts in the PACU where nurses prep by reviewing the patient’s health history and surgical notes before they even arrive. Sarah Smith, who is a nurse at Steamboat Surgery Center. She said that they use a structured handoff process monitor vital signs, closely include family in the discharge conversation and work with PT and OT to get patients as mobile as possible.
She also emphasized the balance between rest and mobility post-op to prevent complications and just re improve that recovery process altogether. Dr. A Alexander Menninger, who also works with the [00:35:00] US Ski team, designs pre-op plans that include patient education, pre rehabilitation, multi-model.
Dr. Alexander Menninger, who also works with the US Ski team, designs pre-op plans that include patient education multiple methods of pain management and nerve blocks to ensure smoother recoveries. His intra-op techniques are minimally invasive, narcotic sparing, and aimed at reducing swelling, blood loss, and recovery time.
So three interesting takeaways for me. ASCs that focus on patient prep, standardization and recovery protocols are seeing results and improving the recovery process for their patients. A smooth, safe discharge starts well before surgery and continues with intentional follow-up. And lastly, orthopedic ASC is looking to shave off recovery time.
Should consider [00:36:00] structured handoffs, patient-centered education and mobility focused discharge planning. And in HSC stated the industry report, we found that the average orthopedic surgery center I really hate this story.
So three interesting takeaways for me. One, ASCs have focused on patient prep, standardization and recovery protocols are seeing results. Two. A smooth, safe discharge starts well before surgery and continues with intentional follow up. And three orthopedic ASCs looking to shave off recovery time. Should consider structured handoffs, patient-centered education and mobility focused discharge planning.
And in HST stated the industry report, we found that the average orthopedic recovery time dropped from 71.8 minutes in 2023 to 68.8 minutes in 2024, which is a huge win for both efficiency and patient experience. [00:37:00] So improvements are possible if it’s something you wanna work on, and to end our new segment on a positive note as if dogs weren’t amazing enough.
They are now helping doctors manage cystic fibrosis researchers at Imperial College London. Working with medical detection dogs, train sniffer dogs to detect pseudomonas a dangerous bacteria.
Okay. Thank you.
And to end our new segment on a positive note, as if dogs weren’t amazing enough, they are now helping doctors manage cystic fibrosis [00:38:00] researchers at Imperial College London. Working with medical detection dogs, train sniffer dogs to detect pseudomonas, a dangerous bacteria that can lead to serious infection.
In cystic fibrosis patients, these pups can pick up the scent from a patient’s clothing, opening the door for even at-home screening. With new funding from Life Arc and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, this method is being rolled out to speed up diagnosis and treatment. This is why research is incredibly important and congrats to everyone working on this project.
It sounds like it can definitely save lives and improve the quality of life for those dealing with cystic fibrosis. And that officially wraps up this week’s podcast. Thank you as always for spending a few minutes of your week with us. Make sure to subscribe or leave a review on whichever platform you’re listening from.
I hope you have a great day, and we’ll see you again next week.[00:39:00]