A recent New York Times article shed light on a surprising cause of Surgical Site Infections (SSI) – warmer weather. The research around causes SSI begs a question: How can providers work to decrease infections even when the weather works against them?
Providers have clear goals in reducing instances of SSI. According to the CDC, 1-3 out of every 100 patients will develop an SSI post-surgery. Surgical site infections are some of the most-common occurring and can be costly to address. As healthcare payments shift from fee-for-service to value-based care models, surgeons, hospitals, and outpatient facilities will need to work together to proactively address potential infections regardless of cause.
Using Follow Up to Reduce Infections
For Ambulatory Surgery Centers, patient outreach is already a daily task. The challenge many providers face is how to better leverage that patient engagement to improve outcomes while optimizing staff time.
In any provider setting, patient follow-up is one of the best methods to reduce infections. Proactive follow-up ensures patients do not exhibit signs of infection, such as redness around the surgical site or a fever. While many surgical hospitals and surgery centers are already following up with patients, they are often unable to reach all patients who are at-risk for infection.
Making the Follow-Up Process More Efficient
To maximize efficiency, using technology to streamline workflows is a cost-effective way to achieve goals. With a solution such as Voice post-discharge follow-up facilities provide customizable calls and texts to patients post-op.
This type of outreach allows patients to evaluate their recovery and indicate an issue or concern. Should a patient indicate an issue on a call or text, designated staff members are immediately notified and can resolve the issue. With Voice, patients can even text images of their surgical sites to streamline processes and ensure proper treatment is administered.
Conclusion
As ASCs face more competition and regulatory hurdles, finding ways to maximize revenue is key. By streamlining workflows to improve patient outreach and engagement efforts, facilities see increased value through patient outcomes, patient referrals, and optimized labor efficiency.
To learn more about how Voice’s follow-up calls and texts can help decrease instances of SSI, click here.
Caroline LeCates, VP of Outpatient Technology