Outpatient total joint replacements are becoming more and more attractive to patients. Particularly in a post-COVID-19 world, patients are attracted to the idea of at-home recovery and a shorter length-of-stay in the acute setting. As demand rises, outpatient joint replacements are expected to increase by nearly 80% over the next few years. Your ASC can meet this increasing demand by optimizing and implementing best practices now for total joint surgery. 

With rapidly-changing healthcare regulations, ASCs must consider how to deliver high-quality care while pivoting to meet the demands of changing legal and safety requirements. At the same time, patients want more information and they want it to be easily accessible. 

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, elective orthopedic procedures dropped about 61%, according to the American Alliance of Orthopaedic Executives. Postponing these elective surgeries has left a significant amount of revenue on the table. While general hospitals are still prioritizing COVID-19 treatment, ASCs have a perfect opportunity to increase their volume of elective procedures, such as total joint replacements. 

We have the pleasure of working with ASC staff from all over the country. They use 1MP software to streamline and improve whichever daily functions they desire - and the results? Incredible functionality, fewer cancellations than ever before, increased revenue, and so much more. Here are a few real examples of how 1MP can help increase patient satisfaction.

Research has found that undergoing any total joint replacement can make patients feel uncertain, vulnerable, and nervous. They may experience a decrease in trust for their own body. They may have intense anxiety about harming their new joint. As their healthcare provider, you have a crucial role in helping patients feel more confident and at ease. Instead of feeling anxious and uncertain, with your help, patients can experience a significantly improved quality of life.  

Last month, our team announced the first round of a new initiative to help celebrate the unrecognized heroes in outpatient surgery: The Ambulatory Surgery Everyday Heroes Program. 

One of the top questions regarding ambulatory surgery software is data privacy and security. With just one click, cybercriminals can gain access to a network of data. If this happens at your ASC, the results can be devastating. 

Over 250 ambulatory surgery centers in the U.S. offer outpatient total joint replacements. With costs for ASC joint replacements at 40% less than the cost of inpatient replacements, more and more ASCs have adopted the procedure in recent years.  

A surgical protocol called Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) has been shown to significantly improve patient satisfaction and outcomes. The protocol focuses on a few key strategies outlined in this article. Overhauling processes to ERAS compliance is a huge undertaking. However, there are some concepts in ERAS that every ASC can start using right away to increase patient satisfaction and improve outcomes.