The Post-Surgery Pathway: Getting Patients Home Sooner

With its focus on surgical care, the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York has a very strong track record for successful procedures. While on their journey to HIMSS Stage 7, they found that they could improve their processes for getting patients back on their feet after surgery.

One of the most important factors in getting patients home sooner is whether patients receive physical therapy on the day of surgery. Those who do get physical therapy right away are more likely to have a shorter length of stay and be more satisfied with their care. That’s why HSS implemented a clinical support tool in Epic to help notify clinicians when a patient is ready for physical therapy. They also expanded their use of Epic’s clinical pathways to keep patients moving from surgery to discharge.

Since the beginning of the project, the percentage of patients receiving physical therapy on the day of surgery has improved from about 86% to 96%. As a result, overall length of stay has begun to improve. HSS’s Press Ganey net promoter score has also continually improved, and is currently at a 94%—significantly higher than the industry average of 67%.

Thanks to this project and other improvements, HSS has been recognized by HIMSS as a Stage 7 hospital.

Read more here.