Same-day surgeries set standard for patient care
Story by Elaine Hobson Miller
Photos by Graham Hadley
and submitted by Ascension St. Vincent’s
Ascension St. Vincent’s St. Clair may have begun life as an in-patient facility. But by keeping up with technology and the latest in surgical techniques, the Pell City hospital has built a reputation as a go-to place for outpatient surgeries, too.
“I would say that we are a leader in outpatient surgeries,” says Lisa Nichols, hospital administrator. “We have excellent patient satisfaction and quality scores. Our outpatient volume continues to grow. “
Ascension St. Vincent’s St. Clair’s surgical services department has provided care to more than 5,500 patients in the past 12 months, with that breaking down to 2,691 outpatient surgeries, 171 inpatient surgeries, 706 infusion treatments and 1,932 GI procedures.
Surgeons who use the hospital are able to perform total joint replacements as outpatient procedures. Patients come in five to seven days before surgery, to meet with a pre-admission testing nurse to make sure that all the patient’s needed resources are ready when they go home, Nichols says. “Before the total joint patients have surgery we want to make sure they have everything they need so they can successfully recover at home.”
Stacey Wachs, director of Surgery Services, says that in most cases, “We encourage patients to go home in one day.” Even total hip replacement and knee replacement surgeries no longer require overnight stays, unless the patient has other health concerns that the doctor wants monitored.
While physical therapists are lined up to make in-home visits the day after patients arrive back home, therapy actually starts before they leave the hospital. “We make sure they are up and walking the day of surgery,” Wachs says. “We have the patient’s caretaker come with them when they have their surgery, so they will know how to assist the patient when they get home.”
Same-day surgery involves many more operations than hip and knee replacements, though. Colonoscopies, cholecystectomies, appendectomies, mastectomies, thyroidectomies and colon resections are just a few examples. Many surgeries that used to require several days follow-up care in the hospital are often less invasive now. Some are handled through laparoscopy, which cuts down on recovery and healing time. “Patients themselves are wanting to go home as soon as possible,” says Nichols. “It’s better for them psychologically, too. Once they are home, we make follow-up calls to keep up with their progress.”
Having an outpatient surgical procedure can be a less expensive option than a surgical procedure that requires a hospital stay, Nichols says. “Of course, the patient’s insurance coverage determines the amount the patient is required to pay.”
Around 30 staff members are at work in the Same-Day Surgery (SDS) department on the high-volume days of Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. That number includes doctors, nurses and technicians who not only do surgeries but a whole lot more, such as infusion services and monitoring patients after their procedures.
“We have 10 SDS rooms that we use to get patients ready for their surgery, for those needing outpatient infusions and for the final stage of recovery prior to being discharged home,” Nichols says. “We also have one GI procedure room, three ORs (operating rooms) and a recovery room with eight bays.”
“We’re not a small-town hospital,” Wachs says. “We have the latest equipment and doctors who come here from Birmingham, Anniston and other cities for their procedures. We updated the systems in our GI lab recently, and doctors come to me daily about other possible upgrades they would like to see. We have a wish list.”
Robots that assist physicians with minimally-invasive surgeries are high on that list. “I think this facility has been kept up well,” Nichols says. “A lot of our employees live in this county and have pride in this facility.”
A new beginning
Ascension St. Vincent’s St. Clair opened on Veterans Drive near the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in December 2011. In its first incarnation, it was in a now-demolished facility on the opposite side of I-20.
Nichols has been administrator there for eight years, while Stacey Wachs has spent her entire 25-year medical career at the hospital, including her time at its former location. Both Nichols and Wachs are registered nurses.
Contrary to what much of the public believes, Ascension did not buy out St. Vincent’s hospitals. Ascension has been the parent company to St. Vincent’s hospitals in Birmingham, Oneonta, Clanton, St. Clair County and throughout the U.S. since their inception, but only recently began branding them with the Ascension logo.
“Outpatient surgery at St. Vincent’s St. Clair bridges the gap between efficiency and patient care,” says Dr. George Crawford, a general surgeon who uses the hospital. “They have found a way to treat patients respectfully and how they deserve to be treated, while at the same time being efficient and effective in preparing them for their surgical procedure.”
