Leading best gynecologic surgical care into the next decade

With today’s rapid health care transformation from fee for service to fee for value, it is imperative that gynecologic surgeons understand, engage in, and lead this transformation. The value equation is defined as patient experience times clinical outcome divided by cost. This 2-part special issue highlights some of the key content shared at the 2018 SGS annual meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, to help you engage and lead.

The keynote address was “Patient Experience: It is not about making people happy” and was presented by James Merlino, MD (author of Service Fanatics: How to Build Superior Patient Experience the Cleveland Clinic Way), who is former Chief Experience Officer and colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and currently President and Chief Medical Officer, Strategic Consulting at Press Ganey. Dr. Merlino clearly defines that the patient experience is really about patient safety and quality. He shares practical tips to help physicians improve communication with patients, which not only increases patient satisfaction but also physician satisfaction. His wife Amy Merlino, MD, an ObGyn, coauthored the piece with him and shares their journey to implement programs that were impactful and designed to create greater personal appreciation and mindfulness of physicians’ clinical work.

Optimal surgical outcomes delivered at lowest cost are the other key components of value health care. Endometriosis and the management of stage 3 and 4 pelvic organ prolapse remain challenging clinical scenarios that we face often. Rosanne Kho, MD, and colleagues taught a postgraduate course on contemporary management of deep infiltrating endometriosis and, in part 2 of this special section, share key highlights and pearls from that course. A highpoint of the meeting was a debate on the optimal management of stage 3 and 4 pelvic organ prolapse. Peter Rosenblatt, MD, moderated a lively discussion involving Rebecca Rogers, MD, who advocated for native tissue repair; Patrick Culligan, MD, who promoted abdominal sacrocolpopexy; and Vincent Lucente, MD, backing transvaginal mesh. They summarize their arguments beginning on page SS4 for you to decide.

Lastly, with increasing demand for minimally invasive hysterectomy, many surgeons could benefit from simulation training to enhance their practice, hone up on skills, and provide warm-up to sharpen technical skills prior to the day in the operating room. Simulation training improves patient safety and outcomes and lowers cost. Simulation training is also key in training residents and fellows. Christine Vaccaro, MD, and colleagues taught a postgraduate course on what is new in simulation training for hysterectomy and summarize important technologies in part 2 of this special section.

I hope you enjoy the content of this special section and find it impactful to your practice and future.

With today’s rapid health care transformation from fee for service to fee for value, it is imperative that gynecologic surgeons understand, engage in, and lead this transformation. The value equation is defined as patient experience times clinical outcome divided by cost. This 2-part special issue highlights some of the key content shared at the 2018 SGS annual meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, to help you engage and lead.

The keynote address was “Patient Experience: It is not about making people happy” and was presented by James Merlino, MD (author of Service Fanatics: How to Build Superior Patient Experience the Cleveland Clinic Way), who is former Chief Experience Officer and colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and currently President and Chief Medical Officer, Strategic Consulting at Press Ganey. Dr. Merlino clearly defines that the patient experience is really about patient safety and quality. He shares practical tips to help physicians improve communication with patients, which not only increases patient satisfaction but also physician satisfaction. His wife Amy Merlino, MD, an ObGyn, coauthored the piece with him and shares their journey to implement programs that were impactful and designed to create greater personal appreciation and mindfulness of physicians’ clinical work.

Optimal surgical outcomes delivered at lowest cost are the other key components of value health care. Endometriosis and the management of stage 3 and 4 pelvic organ prolapse remain challenging clinical scenarios that we face often. Rosanne Kho, MD, and colleagues taught a postgraduate course on contemporary management of deep infiltrating endometriosis and, in part 2 of this special section, share key highlights and pearls from that course. A highpoint of the meeting was a debate on the optimal management of stage 3 and 4 pelvic organ prolapse. Peter Rosenblatt, MD, moderated a lively discussion involving Rebecca Rogers, MD, who advocated for native tissue repair; Patrick Culligan, MD, who promoted abdominal sacrocolpopexy; and Vincent Lucente, MD, backing transvaginal mesh. They summarize their arguments beginning on page SS4 for you to decide.

Lastly, with increasing demand for minimally invasive hysterectomy, many surgeons could benefit from simulation training to enhance their practice, hone up on skills, and provide warm-up to sharpen technical skills prior to the day in the operating room. Simulation training improves patient safety and outcomes and lowers cost. Simulation training is also key in training residents and fellows. Christine Vaccaro, MD, and colleagues taught a postgraduate course on what is new in simulation training for hysterectomy and summarize important technologies in part 2 of this special section.

I hope you enjoy the content of this special section and find it impactful to your practice and future.

With today’s rapid health care transformation from fee for service to fee for value, it is imperative that gynecologic surgeons understand, engage in, and lead this transformation. The value equation is defined as patient experience times clinical outcome divided by cost. This 2-part special issue highlights some of the key content shared at the 2018 SGS annual meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, to help you engage and lead.

The keynote address was “Patient Experience: It is not about making people happy” and was presented by James Merlino, MD (author of Service Fanatics: How to Build Superior Patient Experience the Cleveland Clinic Way), who is former Chief Experience Officer and colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and currently President and Chief Medical Officer, Strategic Consulting at Press Ganey. Dr. Merlino clearly defines that the patient experience is really about patient safety and quality. He shares practical tips to help physicians improve communication with patients, which not only increases patient satisfaction but also physician satisfaction. His wife Amy Merlino, MD, an ObGyn, coauthored the piece with him and shares their journey to implement programs that were impactful and designed to create greater personal appreciation and mindfulness of physicians’ clinical work.

Optimal surgical outcomes delivered at lowest cost are the other key components of value health care. Endometriosis and the management of stage 3 and 4 pelvic organ prolapse remain challenging clinical scenarios that we face often. Rosanne Kho, MD, and colleagues taught a postgraduate course on contemporary management of deep infiltrating endometriosis and, in part 2 of this special section, share key highlights and pearls from that course. A highpoint of the meeting was a debate on the optimal management of stage 3 and 4 pelvic organ prolapse. Peter Rosenblatt, MD, moderated a lively discussion involving Rebecca Rogers, MD, who advocated for native tissue repair; Patrick Culligan, MD, who promoted abdominal sacrocolpopexy; and Vincent Lucente, MD, backing transvaginal mesh. They summarize their arguments beginning on page SS4 for you to decide.

Lastly, with increasing demand for minimally invasive hysterectomy, many surgeons could benefit from simulation training to enhance their practice, hone up on skills, and provide warm-up to sharpen technical skills prior to the day in the operating room. Simulation training improves patient safety and outcomes and lowers cost. Simulation training is also key in training residents and fellows. Christine Vaccaro, MD, and colleagues taught a postgraduate course on what is new in simulation training for hysterectomy and summarize important technologies in part 2 of this special section.

I hope you enjoy the content of this special section and find it impactful to your practice and future.