As the volume of outpatient procedures continues to rise, anesthesia providers are increasingly practicing in ASCs, environments that demand a different mindset than traditional hospital settings.
In hospitals, anesthesia providers often operate in controlled environments with longer procedural timelines and less emphasis on direct patient satisfaction. In contrast, outpatient settings cater to patients who have more options and higher expectations, Allyn Wilcock, CRNA, owner of Snoqualmie, Wash.-based Advanced Anesthesia Services and Northwest Healing and Wellness, told Becker’s.
“People coming into ambulatory surgery settings have different places they could go. They have more options… so customer service becomes much more important,” he said. “We try to walk [new providers] through and have competencies that they have to check off to make sure they’re appropriately prepared for an outpatient setting.”
This orientation includes training anesthesia professionals not only in clinical protocols, but also in patient communication and team collaboration
Efficiency is a cornerstone of ASC operations. Unlike hospitals, where timelines are often more flexible, ASCs rely on tight scheduling and quick turnover to stay profitable and competitive.
“The faster pace of outpatient settings takes a lot of getting used to for many anesthesia providers,” Mr. Wilcock said.
That speed, however, can mask complexity. According to Jeff Tieder, CRNA, clinical assistant professor of the nurse anesthesia concentration at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, ASCs increasingly resemble mini-hospitals.
“We are often a victim of our own success,” Mr. Tieder told Becker’s. “We do such a good job in the hospital that our surgeons look at us and assume we can do the same procedures in the ASC. And as reimbursement pushes procedures toward the ASC, it becomes a mini-hospital.”
This shift brings with it new layers of clinical responsibility and decision-making, especially when managing higher-acuity patients in a setting with limited backup.
Alongside clinical efficiency, successful anesthesia in ASCs hinges on collaboration and communication. In smaller, more intimate care teams, relational dynamics have a direct impact on workflow and patient outcomes.
“Because we are working in smaller settings that feel more like family environments,” Mr. Wilcox said. “Learning how to play well in the sandbox and be more agreeable is really important.”
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