The popularity of outpatient surgery centers has increased
over the years because they are generally more
convenient and cheaper for the patient. Today approximately two-thirds of
surgical procedures are performed in an outpatient surgery center. But, following the recent death of comedian Joan Rivers, whose death has been attributed to complications of a procedure performed in a surgery center, many are questioning whether or not surgery centers are safe and adequately equipped to handle emergencies. Unfortunately, at this point in time a comparison of post-operative complication figures between procedures performed in a traditional hospital setting to procedures performed in a surgery center are not available. However, several public health organizations believe there is definitely cause for concern. Dr. Kenneth Rothfield, a nationally recognized patient safety expert, a member of the board of the nonprofit group Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety and the chairman of
anesthesiology at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, believes that the staff members
of a surgery center might not be as prepared as they think they are and that hospitals
are more likely to be fully equipped and to have staff members with greater
experience handling emergencies. The really scary part of this whole thing is that a 2010 report from the Centers for Disease Control said that two-thirds of the
surgery centers they evaluated were not using proper infection prevention
techniques.
So what do you need to know to protect yourself while receiving services at a outpatient surgery center?
- It is critical that your overall health is evaluated before any procedure and that the medical/surgical staff is aware of any known drug allergies.
- Make sure that the facility is accredited by one of three agencies: the Joint Commission, the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
- Discuss emergency preparedness with the surgical staff. Verify that a medical crash cart (wheeled cart containing a defibrillator, medicines and other lifesaving supplies that is standard in hospitals) will be present during a procedure and that the staff is fully trained.
- Make sure your physician is board certified and has privileges at a local hospital. And, that a board certified anesthesiologist will be present during the entire procedure.
Good Health!
Terry
D. A. Wendy Parks (Alysia Reiner) -- "How to Get Away with Murder"
