Published on August 06, 2010
Illini Surgical Patients Get Gold Card Treatment
An hour before her knee replacement surgery, Julie Rigg walked into the Genesis Medical Center, Illini Campus, and pulled out her “gold card.”
Thanks to the card, she was able to bypass the Admissions desk; didn’t have to fumble through her purse for her insurance card; and, could avoid the tedious job of filling out of forms. She went straight to the place she would be prepared for surgery.“
Alicia Johnson, R.N., shows the gold card that is part
of a streamlined admission process for surgeries at
the Illini Campus.
I have high anxiety when it comes to hospitals; I’m not a big fan,” says Rigg, 53, of her April 28 double-knee replacement surgery. “It was nice to show my gold card at the front desk and then go right to the Outpatient Care Center, where they immediately prepared me for surgery. It was a relief not to have forms to fill out because my thinking process wasn’t good that morning.”
She jokes, “In fact, I was thinking of a way to escape.”
Rigg of Roseville, Ill., benefited from a new streamlined admission process for surgeries at the Illini Campus that brings convenience to patients while focusing on their safety. The gold card signifies that patients already have filled out their admission paperwork and undergone the necessary lab tests before surgery.“
Anyone who comes in and gets their testing done and medical history taken ahead of time receives a gold card. Some patients call it their ‘Willy Wonka golden ticket,’ “ says Alicia Johnson, R.N., Pre-Admission Testing, Operating Room. “That means they don’t have to go to Admitting the day of surgery. They only have to come in an hour before surgery, instead of 2 hours to 2.5 hours ahead of time. They don’t have to worry about bringing their insurance card. All of that is taken care of ahead of time.“
Surgical patients are usually a little nervous before a procedure. They don’t want to have to deal with filling out forms on the day of surgery.”
To those who have done all the pre-admission work in advance, the ability to arrive just one hour before surgery is a big benefit. That was especially true for Rigg, who lives 70 miles away.
More than a year ago, the hospital’s Patient Readiness Task Force began piloting the new admission process on those patients scheduled to have total joint replacement surgery. For years, those patients have had the opportunity to attend a pre-surgery educational “Joint Kamp,” where they meet with various health professionals to learn what the surgery and rehabilitation will entail.
The next step to bring ease to surgery was to include the preadmission visit and any lab testing they needed -- on the same day they were attending Joint Kamp, as well.“
The admission process can be cumbersome for patients, and our goal was to have all the patients’ orders and test results on the chart and everything together when the patient arrived the day of their surgery,” says Linda Leaf, R.N., Supervisor of the Outpatient Care Center at Illini Campus. “Our focus was on patient safety and satisfaction.”
She adds, “The hospital’s dedicated Anesthesia team is reviewing charts in advance of surgery, too, so if we need additional testing or past reports from other physicians we can obtain them ahead of time. This helps avoid surgical delays or postponements.”
Julie Rigg liked having her medical history and lab testing done while at “Joint Kamp.” Although it’s not as common to have both knee replacements done on the same day, she was a good candidate. “Joint Kamp was very helpful, and it was less nerve-wracking to have all the paperwork and lab tests done weeks before the actual surgery and saved me another long trip to the hospital.”
She concludes, “Overall, I had a great surgical experience at the Illini Campus.”
