James Cyriac, MD, University of California in Irvine, and his colleagues examined the perioperative surgical home model by reviewing data from 328 patients who underwent elective knee or hip replacement surgery at a perioperative surgical home from October 2012 to September 2014.
Here are five things to know:
1. During its first year of implementation at UC Irvine Medical Center, the perioperative surgical home met or performed better than national standards for length of stay, complications, blood transfusions and surgical care improvement project compliance.
2. During the second year, researchers found there was an increase in the use of spinal anesthesia, a slight increase in body mass index and a decrease in the use of general anesthesia.
3. Hip replacement patients had a 28 percent lower median hospital stay during their second year as opposed to their first year. There was no substantial difference in length of stay for knee replacement patients between the first and second years.
4. The percent of hip replacement patients able to go home was approximately twice as high during the second year as in the first year. “We did have a lower length of stay, which was statistically significant. But I would be the first to say that, clinically, I don’t think it meant very much,” said Dr. Cyriac. “The very big thing we were excited about was the number of patients who went home.”
5. American Society of Anesthesiologists designed the perioperative surgical home model as a way to save money and enhance quality by coordinating care.
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