Our mission is to prepare an individualized pre-surgical plan to prepare and educate you on what to expect before, during, and after your surgical procedure. With all surgeries comes risk, and our team of experts is here to minimize those risks with a Surgical Optimization Program. This focuses on reducing the chance of infection, decreasing your length of stay in the hospital, preventing postoperative complications, and avoiding unplanned re-admittance to the hospital ultimately saving you time and money. Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons is passionate about providing you and your family with the tools needed for a successful surgical outcome.
How does it work?
The optimization process can be broken down into these 5 categories:
1. Medical Evaluation: Your provider has decided that surgery is the best path for you moving forward and will now refer you to our optimization specialist. Bloodwork will be ordered prior to your visit with the specialist, and it is very important to have this completed before your appointment. She will identify your surgical risk factors by discussing your medical history, test results, lifestyle, diet, physical fitness, and recovery support system.
2. Medication Review: You may be required to stop certain medications before your procedure. It is important that you have provided an up-to-date medication list and you will need to bring your medicines with you to your appointment. After a detailed review of your medications, instructions will be given prior to surgery. This is a great time to ask questions about pain management.
3. Results & Referrals: After a thorough medical assessment, our specialist will send all results from your pre-operative testing to your surgeon to determine the next steps in your optimization process. Together our team, along with your help, will determine if any additional measures need to be made before your procedure such as pre-operative physical therapy, smoking cessation, weight loss, or medication adjustments. Referrals to other specialists may be required.
4. Education & Resources: The key to reducing anxiety about your surgery is education. We want to ensure you and your family receive all the materials you need about your procedure, your recovery expectations, post-surgical incision care, transportation, and resources for in-patient therapy centers and at-home care assistance. If you have questions, we have answers.
5. Collaborative Care: We want to make sure your entire health network is communicating to give you the best outcome. Our optimization specialist will determine if surgical clearance is needed from your primary care physician or other specialists such as your cardiologist. The goal is to provide a safe, efficient, comprehensive approach so you are fully prepared to undergo any surgical procedure.
Meet our provider, Jenna Snell, CRNP:
Jenna Snell, CRNP, received both her Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Troy University. She is a proud member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Prior to completing her FNP program, Jenna worked with our patients at The Joint Center of Alabama for 5 years as a preoperative and postoperative RN. She will now be providing Surgical Optimization care to our total joint replacement patients.
