MEDNAX-Affiliated Anesthesiologist Receives First “Physician of Excellence” Designation in the United States
by the ERAS® Society
MEDNAX, Inc. (NYSE:MD), a national health solutions partner specializing in neonatal and other pediatric
services, anesthesiology, radiology, pediatric cardiology and other physician and management services, today announced that
MEDNAX-affiliated anesthesiologist William Buhrman, M.D. was named a “Physician of Excellence” in enhanced recovery after
surgery implementation, the first U.S. anesthesiologist to receive this honor from the ERAS® Society.
Optimizing the Perioperative Process
The key factors that prolong a patient’s hospital stay include the need for pain medication, excessive intravenous fluids and
lack of early mobilization. Enhanced recovery after surgery is a multimodal perioperative care pathway designed to address these
key factors and optimize the perioperative process through evidence-based best practices, and to provide a roadmap to help
clinicians work collaboratively to ensure optimal care. It’s also validated by a centralized audit of outcomes.
Enhanced recovery programs address the goals of the Institute for Health Improvement’s Triple Aim – to improve outcomes, enhance the patient experience and reduce
the per capita cost of health care by achieving early recovery for patients undergoing major surgery. Because of this alignment,
these programs are gaining traction in the United States across multiple surgical service lines.
“The enhanced recovery after surgery initiative is a team effort that requires buy-in and active participation from the entire
perioperative team, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, CRNAs and the patient,” said Dr. Buhrman, who spearheads the ERAS
program and is an anesthesiologist with Southeast Anesthesia Consultants, the MEDNAX affiliate, practicing at Carolinas Medical
Center (CMC) in Charlotte, N.C. “We worked in partnership with the surgeons and administration at CMC, in particular Dionisios
Vrochides, M.D. who led the surgery team and was integral to achieving our successful outcomes.”
Dr. Buhrman will be presenting on the program and its results at Anesthesiology 2016, the annual meeting of the American
Society of Anesthesiologists in October.
Enhanced Recovery Results
MEDNAX launched its Enhanced Recovery After Surgery/Perioperative Surgical Home Task Force in 2015, and through its Southeast
Anesthesia Consultants practice played an integral role in launching the ERAS Society-based program in the Hepato-Pancreato-Billary
(HPB) surgery unit at Carolinas Medical Center. The recognition of Dr. Buhrman as an “ERAS Physician of Excellence,” acknowledges
the program’s outcomes as provided by CMC, which include:
- 15% reduction in length of stay
- 12% decrease in readmissions
- Reduction of the infection rate to a current rate of zero
In addition to Dr. Burhman, MEDNAX-affiliated anesthesiologist Jay Iaconetti, M.D. is leading the enhanced recovery after
surgery initiative in partnership with Fairfax Colon and Rectal Surgery Group at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Va. The practice cares
for 300-350 colorectal surgical patients per year under the program. Based on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare
Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scoring system, the team at Fairfax has seen an increase in patient satisfaction and a decline in
length of stay for colorectal patients by one full day. Additionally, outcomes data show that patients eat sooner after surgery,
require narcotics less frequently after surgery, and have lower post-operative nausea, vomiting and other symptoms.
Next Steps
MEDNAX’s current network of 45 anesthesia practices will be looking at ways to implement this meaningful initiative.
MEDNAX-affiliated anesthesiologists, including Dr. Iaconetti and Dr. Roy Soto, are well-regarded experts on the topic; in fact, Dr.
Soto spoke at the ERAS Society’s Joint World Congress, Anesthesia Section, in Washington, D.C., in 2015.
“Enhanced recovery after surgery represents a paradigm shift in perioperative care in two ways,” said Rich Gilbert, M.D. who
serves as Chief Medical Officer of MEDNAX’s Eastern Division and was the CEO of Southeast Anesthesia Consultants. “First, by
implementing evidence based best practice protocols across a given surgical type, there is a reduction in variability, improved
outcomes and in turn lower cost of care. Second, it is comprehensive in its scope, covering all areas of the patient’s journey
through the perioperative process.
“From a national perspective, the enhanced recovery program is just one of many initiatives our affiliated practices implement
to take great care of patients. They continue to develop and offer solutions to our hospital partners across the country that
address the transformation of the U.S. health system toward value-based health care.”
ABOUT MEDNAX
MEDNAX, Inc. is a national health solutions partner comprised of the nation's leading providers of physician services.
Physicians and advanced practitioners practicing as part of MEDNAX are reshaping the delivery of care within their specialties and
subspecialties, using evidence-based tools, continuous quality initiatives, clinical research and telemedicine to enhance patient
outcomes and provide high-quality, cost-effective care. The Company was founded in 1979, and today, through its affiliated
professional corporations, MEDNAX provides services through a network of more than 3,400 physicians in all 50 states and Puerto
Rico. In addition to its national physician network, MEDNAX provides services to healthcare facilities and physicians in over 40
states through two complementary businesses, consisting of a revenue cycle management company and a consulting services company.
Additional information is available at www.mednax.com.
MEDNAX, Inc.
For Investors:
Charles Lynch, 954-384-0175, Ext. 5692
Vice President, Strategy and Investor Relations
Charles_Lynch@mednax.com
or
For Interviews:
Stacey Kovalsky, 954-384-0175, Ext. 5505
Manager, Corporate Communications
Stacey_Kovalsky@mednax.com
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