and I may have something to tell you.



We will see if 4million is enough reason.

pics or gtfo

oops, wrong thread  

You're waiting AND I'm waiting...and I hate waiting.  

Yep.  Photo coming!  

In 2014 I became involved with an anesthesiologist here at the hospital to utilize and measure ERAS performance on our patients.  I admit, at the time I became a part of the team purely out of selfish reasons.  My mother has had diverticulitis for almost 20 years and knowing this methodology might be used in her surgery greatly influenced my involvement.  I knew the time would likely come that a portion of her large intestine would need to be removed.

ERAS involves carb loading a patient prior to surgery.  That is, you are able to eat just hours prior to surgery.  The idea is to nourish the cells as much as possible to make the gut pliable and encourage healing.  ERAS also involves NO narcotic use.  Pain is controlled through a low thoracic epidural.  

In 2014, we got encouraging results on 22 patients who had open gut procedures.  By 2017, we'd performed ERAS on over 200 patients.  Length of stay was anywhere from 2 to four days shorter than for our peer group who didn't do ERAS, and our patients had no more readmissions than the control group.

I'm 2016, my mom had an open gut to remove about 1/4 of her colon.  I sought out the physician leader in my data for performing these surgeries.  She had a 3 hour procedure, and the next day, ambulated to a chair (that's required--ambulation post op day one).  She also could eat post op day one.  She received NO narcotics.  She was discharged in 4.3 days.  Generally, patients with these surgeries are discharged in about a week.

Using math, and the saved days, this project can potentially save Methodist $4 million.  We are using it on multiple types of surgeries now--not just open guts.  Patients like it because they get to leave earlier, so they experience a cost saving, and so do we.  This protocol is also being used in patients with cancer.

I can't begin to tell you how many bell curves and tests of confidence I've run.  It's a lot.  Our group posts huge statistically significant gains over our control group.

Selfish reasons or not, the impacts of all this reach far beyond your own mother.  A great many patients' lives and recoveries will be enhanced for the better because of this.


It's about damn time you got some recognition for the work you do.  Although the award and praise are nice, it'd be even nicer if some of that savings trickled down to you too.

I wish there were compensation tied to this, but alas not.  I told myself if the team didn't win that I'd at least have gotten what I needed from it.

These surgeries are scary.  It's considered major surgery, which is why my mom lived with the pain for 20 years.  She just couldn't put it off any longer.

It's come to my attention that we have another employee who works in the ER that is a member here as well.

Should any of you need my expertise on finding someone who does ERAS at my facility, please IM me.  I can at least put you in touch with a physician who uses the protocol to see if you are a candidate.

Congratulations!

Damn, thought maybe you'd won  the lottery...

In which case, since you're rich, I'm single. 

If I'd won the lottery, I'd have quit this job.  

I like the work...the politics, not so much!

Nice!

Awesome. Keep up the great work!

Congrats TS!

True, dat.

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations and much admiration for you loving the job despite the politics.

That's awesome, congrats!

AWESOME