Capitol Anesthesiology Association Partners with Seton Healthcare Family to Open Perioperative Command Center

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Capitol Anesthesiology Association, the nation's largest independent practice of anesthesiologists, recently partnered with the Seton Healthcare Family to launch elements of the first community-based Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) in Austin, Texas. The Perioperative Surgical Home is a concept developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) to improve patient care and outcomes through better care coordination and integration of care before, during and after surgery. In just a few months, the center has generated over $1.1 million in cost savings for Seton Medical Center Austin.

"The Perioperative Surgical Home was created to address the need for a value-based health care initiative in Austin. This platform allows us to improve or maintain quality while decreasing overall healthcare costs around the time of surgery," said Dr. John Schlitt, an anesthesiologist with Capitol Anesthesiology Association and a key architect of the surgical home initiative. "Our program streamlines the entire process and serves patients before, during and after surgery to ensure they receive quality and consistent care while decreasing readmissions, complications and ER utilization."

A cornerstone of the PSH is the Perioperative Command Center (PCC), a virtual navigation service that allows each patient to be followed closely by a concierge nurse navigator who helps coordinate care throughout the perioperative continuum. This PCC was developed in close collaboration with Dr. Kristi Henderson, the vice president of Virtual Care and Innovation at the Seton Healthcare Family and her telemedicine and virtual care team. The Command Center employs innovative technology, including videoconferencing and remote monitoring, to better communicate with and care for patients. Having a single, dedicated nurse navigator facilitates better patient education and transitions across levels of care, as well as preventing unnecessary testing and post-operative readmissions.

In addition to the PCC, a key component of the PSH is a brick and mortar clinic designed for optimization of chronic medical conditions prior to surgery. This clinic, affectionately known as the PASS-GO Clinic, was created under the joint physician-leadership of Dr. Thomas Vetter, Professor of Surgery and Perioperative Care at the Dell Medical School, and a nationally recognized PSH content expert. PASS-GO stands for Perioperative Assessment and Global Optimization. The PASS-GO process allows patients to be consistently screened and accordingly grouped by surgical and anesthesia risk. Like in the Monopoly board game, patients are allowed to "pass go" when they have been fully optimized and are thus ready for surgery.

"We are already seeing significant results with the PSH," said Dr. Schlitt. "Along with increased cost savings, there has been a considerable increase in patient satisfaction scores as well as an increase in orthopedic surgical volume. Other specialty departments have expressed interest in utilizing the PSH to enhance their patients' experiences as well."

About Capitol Anesthesiology Association
Established in 1973, Capitol Anesthesiology Association (CAA) is one of the nation's largest independent practice of physicians specializing in anesthesiology. With over 80 physicians (MDs) and 150 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), CAA is dedicated to providing the highest quality care in more than 20 medical facilities throughout the greater Austin area. CAA provides anesthesia services at Austin's Level 1 Trauma Centers, several high-acuity hospitals, and numerous ambulatory surgery centers. To learn more, visit www.capanes.com.

Contact:
Jenny Passmore
[email protected]

SOURCE Capitol Anesthesiology Association

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