The entire staff at the Wayzata Surgical Center, MN understands that surgery is very familiar to us because we perform surgery every day, but it’s unfamiliar to you. We plan extensively for your arrival and look forward to helping you have the best experience possible. We believe that information is powerful. Our most informed patients are the ones who do the best, because they understand why we do what do to provide a safe experience.
We say, “If we can’t do it right, we won’t do it” and “if we can’t do it safely, we can’t do it at all.” We spent several years researching and developing a plan for success and worked with ESG an architect firm that had experience building surgical centers, the Department of Health and a national surgical center organization to come up with a building plan for our surgical center. We wanted to have more control of the patient experience and we did not want to be in a hospital where all of the sickest patients come for care. We planned for safety with careful consideration for the consistency of the patient experience. In 2016, the Wayzata Surgical Center became a reality as we realized our goal of having our own ambulatory surgical center (ASC) on-site. Ambulatory surgery means the that patients ambulate or walk-in and walk-out. Since our launch in 2016, we have been licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health and credentialled by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities (AAAASF) or Quad A. We undergo regular and rigorous screening and on-site visits. We are required to submit random cases for reviews every six months.
We know that by having the same anesthesia team, licensed nurses and surgical technicians, we can offer our surgeons a more consistent experience. We have strict protocols and we love being in control of so many of the variable surrounding the surgical experience. We have an awesome team and we all enjoy working together. We’ve often said that we could probably do all of the surgery without talking, because every member of the team knows what is going to happen next in the sequence. This is often not the case at a hospital where the surgeon will likely have a different nurse, tech or anesthesia provider every single day.
Our preferred technique is called a TIVA or Total IV Anesthesia. We prefer this technique because the patient is comfortably unconscious but still breathing on their own. We almost never need to paralyze our patients which is still a popular technique in some places. We are able to measure and monitor our patient’s oxygen saturation (O2 sat), heart rate or pulse, blood pressure, carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature and monitor their level of comfort. We have a continuous EKG that monitors heart rates and rhythms. We have every safety measure (as required) and protocols in place to improve safety. We practice safety every day.
Amnesia! We don’t allow our patients to go home without some capable adult with them, because some patients just don’t remember what we just told them. It is temporary consequence of anesthesia, but sometimes a nice consequence because people often forget the parts that cause anxiety. The TIVA technique results in a very low incidence of nausea or vomiting. If our patients have a tendency toward motion sickness with N or V we will often pre-treat with a modified “cocktail.” All of our patients have to be comfortable and feeling well before they leave the surgical center.
We have a safety plan in place if anything were to go wrong. Our main plan is prevention. There are just some patients that are not candidates for outpatient surgery. We sometimes have to just say, “no” to elective surgery if patients have pre-existing health conditions that would make surgery unsafe. We have transfer agreements for weird medical things like a new heart problem or if someone became unstable during or after surgery. All of our surgeons have hospital admitting privileges at local hospitals.
Yes. However, most of our out-of-town guest will stay at a local hotel near the surgical center with a trusted friend or family member. We may be able to offer overnight care if the patient is from out of town, and doesn’t have family to look after them. When we coordinate your procedure, our patient care team can assist you with overnight stays.
