Mobile Solutions for Room-to-Room Maneuverability

By Brian Hazelwood, marketing manager

Late last year, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) proposed a new rule that would move many procedures from inpatient healthcare settings to outpatient settings, including surgical centers. The proposed revision to the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) and the Medicare ambulatory surgical center (ASC) payment system is designed to lower the cost of certain procedures that can now be done in an ambulatory setting.

More importantly, it promises to dramatically accelerate a shift that has been slowly occurring over the last few years. As the point of care becomes the focal point of the healthcare journey, more attention is being given to the outpatient experience and the procedures and processes that can be moved to this pivotal point of provider-patient interaction.

This evolution of the point of care will further place mobile carts and workstations front and center in the ambulatory space, helping ensure the time shared between the caregiver and patient remains the most important, meaningful and unobstructed aspect of the healthcare journey.

For practices and clinics planning to incorporate more procedures, the right mobile procedure cart can enhance workflows and the experience, while also maintaining the quality of care delivered. It enables caregivers to easily bring equipment and tools closer to the patient without impeding patient-caregiver interaction. The mobility aspect allows clinicians to make the most of their space, providing flexibility for rooms to be easily customized to focus on patients and procedures.

To that end, we recently introduced a new mobile procedure cart that is designed to enable caregivers to make the most of the available space and assist with patient care and cleaning. It offers an optimal platform for supporting the delivery of care. Part of our Synthesis Cabinetry Collection, the mobile procedure cart allows for sturdy room-to-room maneuverability, even in difficult or small spaces.

The cart can be customized to the unique needs of the provider, thus allowing health systems to optimize the platform for specific workflows and procedures. It easily supports procedure work and prep from the standing position.

The new Midmark mobile procedure cart is available in three models. Standard features include a no-tip base design reducing the likelihood of the cart tipping or falling over and a slide-out worksurface offering an additional working area to place needed items. Through a number of optional features, including storage racks and mounting accessories, caregivers have the ability to design the cart to work the way they need it.

Care happens in many places within a healthcare facility, requiring caregivers to rapidly move from room to room and patient to patient. The mobile procedure cart provides the flexibility and stability needed to deliver care and expand services to meet the needs of patients.

As more procedures occur in outpatient facilities, the right mobile procedure cart can help centralize care delivery and better position the ambulatory care environment to improve the quality of care delivered and outcomes achieved.