Primary Care and the Perioperative Surgical Home

Our team partnered with UMass Memorial Medical Center’s Urology and Anesthesiology departments on a pilot patient-centered, physician-led, multidisciplinary team-based system of coordinated care for the surgical patient. The goals were to improve the patient experience, improve health care and reduce costs. Primary care physicians were surveyed to understand how surgical teams can better coordinate care with primary care. The results of the survey show that concise, useful communication about mutual patients is important to primary care physicians; there is no need for immediate follow-up appointments with primary care physicians unless necessary – appointments are recommended for two to four weeks after discharge; and defining the roles of primary care physicians and the surgeon is important.