Sue Hoopes, patient care manager for the ASC, tells a local TV newsperson that all 12 surgical suites in the ASC set to open Jan. 31 feature video monitors, cameras and related equipment for endoscopic surgery, as well as a full complement of gear for educational teleconferencing. Perhaps more importantly, most equipment will stay in the room, not on a mobile cart, says Hoopes, who explains that the standard setup and configuration of each room should help physicians and staff quickly locate what they need no matter which room they are assigned to. All ORs are larger than the 12 ASC rooms they replace, says Hoopes, in an effort to comfortably accommodate 21st century technology and related needs. Patients will notice a difference. The new ASC, in previously unused space in the Cancer Center, offers greater privacy and enhanced amenities in preop, waiting areas and physician conference rooms for the families and approximately 900 outpatient surgical patients served each month. The Center offers two procedure rooms, doubling the capacity available for minor interventions. Initially, four of the ORs in the former ASC will be used by inpatient surgery, Hoopes said. The ASC will offer outpatient surgeries for all relevant services, including general surgery, orthopedics, cancer, gynecology, plastic surgery, pain service and ENT.

SHC is slated to replace its aging dictation and transcription services in the Spring with a single, comprehensive system that will offer web-based on-line editing and electronic signature.

The system, named Spheris after its Franklin, Tenn.-based vendor, was outlined at a meeting of deputy chiefs and at-large medical board members on Nov. 12 by Jerry Shefren, vice president for ambulatory care, and Kevin Tabb, chief medical information officer. [See President’s column, for more about the meeting].