Same-day discharge program featured at national conference

Each year, perioperative leaders from across the country gather for the OR Manager Conference where participants share best practices, network and earn continuing education credits. At this year’s event, held recently in Chicago, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s same-day discharge program was a featured topic during the breakout sessions.

The session, titled “50 Ways to Leave from Phase II: A Team Approach to Same Day Discharge,” featured BWFH’s Chief of Anesthesiology David Shaff, MD, Associate Chief Nurse of Perianesthesia, Procedural and Ambulatory Services Robin Kaufman, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, NEA-BC, and Senior Director of Surgical and Procedural Services Jeffrey Blackwell, MHA, FACHE. During the presentation, the group discussed the growing demand for same-day joint replacement, as well as surgical oncology, and outlined the steps needed to institute a successful program, including adopting best practices, thoughtful patient selection, electronic health record optimization and cohesive patient education developed by a multidisciplinary team.

“Although many groups are discharging total joints the same day, it was exciting to share our journey with our peers,” says Dr. Shaff. “The lecture was extremely well-received. In fact, one participant told us it was her favorite lecture of the week.”

Kaufman expressed a similar sentiment. “It was exciting to have an opportunity to talk with periop leaders from other parts of the world and hear what some of their barriers and successes have been with similar work,” she says. “It was a privilege to present with my periop administrative and physician partners. One of the big take-homes for me as I talked with colleagues from other institutions was how distinctive it is to have the kind of partnerships we have here at BWFH around this type of work.”

Blackwell adds, “It was a great experience to highlight what can be accomplished with strong clinical and administrative partnerships. While so much of the same day discharge work is clinically focused, there are many administrative parts that need to be ironed out to ensure success.”

Later in the week, Kaufman presented a second breakout session, titled “Supporting Retention and Succession Planning with Leadership Sabbaticals.” That presentation focused on staffing and developing innovative strategies for retention and succession planning.