As healthcare moves from traditional inpatient facilities like hospitals to outpatient settings, we observed a significant rise in office-based surgery procedures. Good regulation in this field was vital to prevent adverse effects and minimize the chances of negative health outcomes.

An advance in surgical procedures, technology, and anesthetic techniques have allowed more complex operations to be performed in-office. This saves time and money, and allows better privacy, personalization, and more favorable outcomes. However, each office-based procedure must follow strict guidelines set by regulatory bodies.

So, what are those guidelines?

Office-Based Surgery Guidelines

The office-based surgery guidelines differ by state, so you need to check the exact rules and regulations based on your practice’s location. However, the Joint Commission set some common goals to ensure the safety of the patients in 2022.

The three most crucial areas include:

• Correct Identification of Patients

Medical practitioners must identify their patients correctly in order to provide appropriate treatment. To do this, they should use at least two forms of identification, such as a patient’s name and their day of birth. Doing this will minimize organizational mistakes and improve patient safety.

• Responsibly Prescribing Medication

Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern in medical fields, and we’ve recently seen some strains of bacteria resistant to all commercially available antibiotics. This could cause huge problems in the future, which is why physicians need to be careful about their prescriptions. In addition, they need to increase patient engagement and motivate them to follow through on their treatment to prevent misuse of antibiotics.

In addition, medical practices need to be mindful of their storage conditions.

• Preventing Surgery Mistakes

Medical personnel should do everything to prevent surgery mistakes. That includes following strict guidelines for office safety and preventing infections. But it also refers to all other parts of the procedure and recovery plans.

The Safety Checklist for Office-Based Surgery

The Institute for Safety in Office-Based Surgery (ISOBS) created a safety checklist for office-based surgeries. It establishes the basic safety protocols, but practitioners can expand and modify them depending on the procedures they provide and their unique needs.

The checklist addresses several areas. The first part refers to the preoperative encounter and ensuring that the patient is ready for the procedure. Then the practitioner needs to review the procedural guidelines once more while their personnel ensures all equipment is prepared and operational.

Other parts of the checklist include:

• Emergency medical services.
• Correct identification of surgery site.
• Administration of appropriate medication.
• Anesthetic toxicology precautions.
• Communicating about the patient’s status at all times.

After the procedure, you must follow recovery guidelines and ensure your patient is well before discharging them. 

Where to Get Support for Office-Based Surgery

If your medical practice needs help with office-based surgery guidelines, Peregrine Healthcare can help. We provide a range of services to medical practices that improve their financial, organizational, and medical aspects. Feel free to contact us to learn more about our services or schedule a professional analysis of your medical practice.