The staff of the Endoscopy, Minor Procedure, Bronchoscopy (EMB) Suite at Fox Chase Cancer Center saw a record-setting 500 cases this past April.
According to David Loren, MD, FASGE, this results from a concerted effort by our entire team to come together and serve the needs of our patients.
“One of the key elements was our team’s effort to actively manage the schedules and make sure that patients had access when spots became available,” said Loren, Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Director of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy at Fox Chase Cancer Center, and System Chief of Gastroenterology for Temple Health. “This was a total-team effort from start to finish, to make sure that we deliver the best GI care—care that we are proud of and that translates into action at every level.”
Typically, EMB sees between three and four hundred patients each month. “The investment in staffing our team with terrific technologists, nurses, and schedulers—along with strong leadership from Taylor McBride, Jayne Custer, Stacey Simmons, and Liz Stype—has led to our success,” Loren says. “Our scheduling team has built great relationships with referring physicians, allowing us to maximize the schedule.”
According to Loren, this all occurs even with an increase in therapeutic endoscopy cases, where the inclusion of X-ray or ultrasound extends the time of the average procedure.
“It starts with scheduling to connect the physicians and patients,” Loren explained. “The hard work continues with our nurse education, the delivery of our unrivaled hands-on care during the procedure day, recovery with more education, and then concludes with the transition to the outpatient setting.”
Is there room for more growth?
“There might be, but it isn’t just about a big round number,” Loren said. “This is really about a team working together with collaboration and respect, where everyone proudly supports each other to support our patients. For that, I think our team deserves all the recognition in the world.”