GI Lab

In Charge of GI Optimization: Marcia Weintraub, MD​

Please discuss all GI Lab issues with Dr. Weintraub

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• Your case assignments for the following day are listed on the Anesthesia Call Assignment Sheet. It is IMPERATIVE that you check the Anesthesia Call Assignment Sheet that is emailed to you. DO NOT rely solely on your assignments in EPIC. Here are some reasons:

1. Late changes that are not reflected in EPIC may be noted on the Anesthesia  Call Assignment Sheet. This can especially happen with GI cases. 

2. Bedside TEE's will no longer be scheduled on the snapboard and therefore will not appear on your list in "My Cases" in EPIC. 

3. SMS cases do not appear in EPIC. 

4. Some AICs use the snapboard while making out the schedule and changes may be made before the schedule is final. 

5. The "assignments" can be seen in EPIC prior to the email coming out, but don't be fooled into thinking that "My Cases" in EPIC is the FINAL answer. The Anesthesia Call Assignment Sheet is. 

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• Please Pre-op your patient the night before to try and address and correct issues early (e.g. anemia, hypokalemia). This is especially important for the inpatients. If you find a condition that needs to be optimized (eg, hypokalemia), one can call the hospitalist to remedy the problem, or call the RN and ask her to address the issue with the attending. It is poor management and a waste of time and resources to have an inpatient brought to the GI lab for a procedure, only to have it cancelled last minute by the anesthesiologist because of a medical issue that could have been addressed the night before. 

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• Please be punctual. For a recent first am case, the anesthesiologist arrived in the GI lab when the case was scheduled to start, delaying the case start by 25 minutes. 

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• There are anesthesia drug boxes in the OmniCell/PIXIS, you don’t need to go to the OR for your medication box

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• Please DO NOT delay a case because the monitor's data is not flowing into EPIC. Instead, please proceed immediately with paper charting and notify Rob Aston. There has been a sharp down tic in this occurrence since people have been using the event "Stop Data Collection" prior to leaving the room. Thank you for adding that to your events. 

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• When you are in GI Lab, add-ons happen often.  Before you leave after your scheduled cases, please check in with the staff and the AIC to make sure the next GI case is covered and will be able to start on time.

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• Assignment of add-ons are to be done by the AIC. Again, please DO NOT DISCUSS with the RNs even if you are interested in doing the case(s).

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• Please DO NOT discuss case assignment issues amongst yourselves at the nursing station. Simply put, it reflects poorly on our group to have people arguing in front of nurses, patients, family members, and colleagues. Even if you feel the discussion is civil and professional, please refrain from a public forum.

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• AICs, please do not ask the GI RNs to make phone calls to see which anesthesiologist is available. The RNs are now having to do patient care and scheduling management. If you are too busy with your own patient, please ask the main OR Front Desk to assist. 

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• It is so helpful when anesthesiologists check in with the AIC when they become available.​

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Communication from Dr. Weintraub

 

Most of you are aware  I have been "tasked" with improving anesthesia services in the GI lab.  I put "tasked" in quotes as it really has been my pleasure. If anyone has any suggestions, please opine.  

 

I really appreciate the efforts that our department has made to be pleasant while working in the GI lab, and Kathy has commented that she has seen a marked improvement. Kudos!!! 

 

I also appreciate that when anesthesiologists have had issues (both behavioral and scheduling), that they have contacted me preemptively. It makes it so much easier to discuss the issue with Kathy when I have already heard your side of the story. Please keep this up. Much appreciated. Plus you may need a sympathetic ear. 

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That's it for now. Thank you for your support. 

 

Respectfully,

 

Marcia

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