After this session you’ll be able to:

1. Identify complications related to elective surgical procedures.
2. Determine components valuable to a preoperative testing and teaching center.
3. Assess the need for a preoperative testing and teaching center at your institution.

Why this is important:

Optimization of elective surgical patients can decrease the risk of postoperative complications and other surgical-related outcomes. A pilot program, PreOp Testing and Teaching Center (PTTC), was developed at UPMC St. Margaret to focus on the patient and caregiver with enhanced communication to the surgeon and primary care provider prior to surgery. The quality manager will share how factors such as BMI, smoking, opioid and alcohol dependency, and social needs assessments are used to optimize the patient’s comorbidities prior to scheduling surgery. Find out how the PTTC has decreased postoperative length of stay, readmissions, discharges to skilled nursing facilities, and surgical cancellations while increasing patient satisfaction.