In September, the executive leadership team was excited to announce Joaquin (Jack) Sariego, MD, MBA, FACS, as PAH’s new vice president of Perioperative Services. Sariego comes to us from Jefferson Health Northeast, where he held multiple appointments, including medical director of Perioperative/Surgical Services and of the Breast Health Program, associate director of the Jefferson Center for Injury Research and Prevention, program director of the Surgery Education Program, and chair of Surgery. While he is a Philadelphia native and Penn grad, Sariego’s rich background also features service in Afghanistan, Europe, and Southwest Asia as a flight surgeon and colonel in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps, a visiting professorship in Germany, and numerous clinical and academic appointments across Pennsylvania and Mississippi.
PAH is proud to welcome this three-time Philadelphia magazine Top Doc™ winner home again, where his expertise and leadership will allow him to develop strategic plans for Perioperative improvement, expansion, and enhanced operational efficiency.
Sariego’s arrival is only one of many recent developments in PAH’s Perioperative realm. “We have streamlined our processes by getting patients to their destinations more quickly for bedside admission, and our staff have supported a comprehensive scheduling overhaul to meet the growing needs of our patients and our service capacities,” said Frances Strauss, MSN, MBA, MHA, RN, CNOR, NE-BC, clinical director of Perioperative Services. “We also relocated our induction room in order to reduce the potential for noise and disruption, ease patients’ anxiety, and provide greater focus in preparing their preoperative anesthesia needs in a comfortable setting.”
This fall also marks one year since the grand opening of the hospital’s new and enhanced family waiting area, the Liberty Lounge. Located near Café 1751, the Liberty Lounge replaced the waiting area on 9 Scheidt, and the updates reflect a commitment to patient- and family-centered care. Its location offers easy access to both the cafeteria and the hospital grounds, and the tech-friendly setup ensures family members can utilize their electronics without worrying about the availability of a charging station. A Perioperative employee is stationed in the lounge and can answer questions, and the EPIC Grand Central screens allow family members to keep up with their loved one’s status. While it’s generally a quiet space, everything from the artwork, to the seating, to the private physician consult area aims to create a sense of comfort and support. All of this helps to alleviate the sense of uneasy confinement that can crop up when anxiously waiting for a family member.
With the family waiting room relocated, 9 Scheidt was transformed into a new discharge unit that opened last month. Its close proximity to the ORs makes it an important step in patient progression; after recovery in the PACU, patients will be transferred to 9 Scheidt prior to discharge. The easy-to-clean finishes allow for quick maintenance turnaround, so transfers from the PACU are not delayed. Other design choices were specifically chosen to set patients and their families at ease. Not only does the glass door allow for acoustic privacy, but the unit is also characterized by warm, yet modern styling and features an abundance of natural light.
“Working with Fran to plan these spaces has been a great learning experience and an opportunity to see how operations inform architecture. It’s a combination of the clinical and the physical. The ease of use and maintenance for staff, the comfort of our patients and their families, and the way the styling fits with the hospital’s other spaces all play a role in the design,” said Jeff O’Neill, AIA, ACHA, CHFM, senior director of Facilities. “With the opening of PAH’s comprehensive Spine Center ahead and many other opportunities to improve our Perioperative spaces, I’m looking forward to continuing this collaborative, multidisciplinary partnership.”