ProAssist

Surgical Assistant Role and Career Opportunity

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:22:00 GMT

Let’s get back to business, looking at the role of the certified surgical assistant. The health care industry is growing and expected to continue to grow. An aging United States population will result in an increased need for surgical procedures. The projected physician shortage, combined with the push for cost containment will create a need for physician extenders – in this case, certified surgical assistants in Dallas and throughout the country. This will lead to more employment opportunities for surgical assistants. As a surgical assistant, one could work in many different areas of surgery (neurosurgery, general, pediatric, trauma, cardiovascular etc.).

Surgical assistants play a key role in making sure the surgical procedure goes smoothly for the surgeon. He is responsible for assisting the surgeon in the operating room. This involves a role before, during, and after the operation. Some of the jobs include determining specific equipment needed for the procedure, draping and positioning the patient according to the surgeon’s request, assisting in the technical aspects of the procedure, participating in closure, dressing the wound at the completion of the operation, and transporting patient at the end of procedure.

So yes, the surgical assistant is a vital part of the surgery team. The more experience and familiarity that an assistant gets with a procedure and surgeon, the more their role can expand. This leaves unlimited room for growth as a career. These are just a few of the many responsibilities as a surgical assistant.

Choosing the profession of a surgical assistant could result in an entry level salary of approximately $55,000.00. With increased experience a surgical assistants’ salary in Dallas could range from $120,000.00 to $200,000.00. The training period for the surgical assistant degree could range from 10 to 22 months depending on the program. With this in mind, this choice would provide lucrative, flexible and exciting opportunities in the health care arena. ProAssist can be a resource to provide advice on various training pathways, getting your career started, and providing a long term career avenue.

What is a Surgical Assistant Anyway?

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:59:00 GMT

How hard is it to be a surgical first assistant? For starters you need a high school diploma or equivalent and you need to be a graduate of a formal surgical technologist program. Once in the hospital customer service abilities are critical as well as effective listening skills. There’s also a physical element to being surgical first assistant that requires frequent standing, bending, reaching, squatting, kneeling and moving or lifting of patients and/or equipment up to 50 pounds is required.

Surgical first assistants are vital to patient care. In addition to performing a variety of technical duties in the operating room, surgical assistants also provide comfort and support for preoperative patients. Postoperative duties also better facilitate proper patient care. The surgical assistant performs these functions under the supervision of the surgeon.

Some of the duties include determining specific equipment needed per procedure, reviewing permit to confirm procedure, inserting Foley catheter, drape the patient within the surgeon’s guidelines, working closely with the surgeon, providing retraction of tissue and organs for optimal visualization with regard to tissue type and appropriate instruments. Also perform other duties deemed necessary and as directed by the surgeon.

The beauty of being a surgical assistant is having the option of working with a variety of surgical specialties. Some of the surgical specialties include orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, obstetrical surgery, cardiac surgery, and plastic surgery just to name a few. This is an exciting career that offers a diverse and rewarding experience.

Need for Medical Care Strikes Close To Home

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:31:00 GMT

It’s January 18th, my husband and I are going to board a plane tomorrow for the trip of a lifetime. We are going to Buenos Aires for the weekend then to Cordoba for some amazing scenery. My mother is coming in to care for my 10 year old son. So you know what that means…going over schedules, writing out directions so that someone from a small town may be able to find her way around the big city, and leaving emergency contact information in case something might happen. (Foreshadowing)

We board the plane and fly ten hours finally arriving in Buenos Aires. We had a wonderful weekend in this amazing city. Its summer so we relaxed at the pool, enjoyed beautiful architecture, great food, shopping and, of course, tango dancing. On Sunday morning and it’s time to board another plane for Cordoba to experience nature at its finest. As any mother would, I contact my mother back home to check in on things and everything was great.

The Cordoba plane trip lasted an hour and a half, and then we had a two-hour drive to the ranch. Let the fun begin, right?. We had an amazing lunch then set out to see the beautiful area. After a few hours we went back to the lodge for dinner. Then it happened, that dreaded phone call from home. My mother called to inform us that our son was in the emergency room and scheduled for emergency abdominal surgery.

The CAT scan suggested small intestinal intussusception. Which means the small bowel had folded inside itself. The studies could not determine the underlying cause for the problem. Frantically my husband began trying to arrange a change in travel to get us home as soon as possible. Me, I started throwing stuff in the suit case so we could begin the journey home. By the time we had all the arrangements made it was about two in the morning. We left for the Cordoba airport arriving back in Dallas twenty-five hours later.

I walked into my son’s hospital room and my heart nearly stopped. He had tubes everywhere, he looked frail and he was asleep. His surgery was a success. The condition was caused by benign meckel’s diverticulum, a small out pouching from the small intestine that occurs in two percent of the population. Fast forward one week, he has returned to school sore but doing well. Thank goodness for great medical care provided by the doctors, nurses, PA’s, surgical assistants and more. They all made a difference in a great outcome.

Is All Medical Billing The Same?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:05:00 GMT

What is medical billing? It is the practice of submitting claims to health insurance companies and government programs such as Medicare to collect payment for healthcare services. There is a unique type of billing for non-physician surgical assistants. Just when you think the day can’t get any worse, it does. After you complete an eight hour day assisting on a case now it’s time to bill that case. Billing can be a nightmare and collecting your fee could be worse. A knowledgeable and expert billing staff could be your avenue to sweet dreams.

Surgical Assistant billing and collections are very different than traditional medical billing. How? Well, the denial rate is higher, modifiers vary by insurance companies and state regulations are changing every year. We will help you take control of your billing process. Effective billing and coding services eliminate unnecessary claim denials and delays. This will help you maximize your revenue so you can focus on your practice instead of dealing with the hassle of the reimbursement process.

Some unique billing organizations have the capability to provide billing and collections to MD’s, PA’s, CST’s, RNFA’s and CST’s, while ensuring integrity and honesty. A reputable medical billing company will provide individual services including initial filing, appeals, and follow up until payment has been received or payment is nonrecoverable.

What should you look for in a medical billing company? You will want a medical billing firm that provides no setup fee, reduced rejection rates, decreased expenditures, faster turnaround and most exciting no more insurance companies. Hence a good night of sleep!!!!! AND SWEET DREAMS

Next week we will discuss job opportunities for surgical assistants. This will lead to new en vogue practice ideas.

Introducing the ProAssist Blog!!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:04:00 GMT

We are excited to welcome you to the ProAssist blog. This first blog is simply an introduction to our company, expertise and what you’ll learn from our space in the blogosphere. ProAssist was established in 2006 by a Physcian’s Assistant in Dallas, Texas. ProAssist provides surgical assistance, 24/7 availability, scheduling, credentialing, billing, surgical rounds and assistant teams to surgeons and/or facilities. ProAssist continues to have its home base in the Dallas area but are also active in many other states with plans of continued expansion.

You might ask, “Who should read the ProAssist blog?” Well, obviously anyone interested in healthcare. But specifically, licensed personnel such as an MD, PA-C, LSA, CST/CSA, CFA, OPA-C, SA-C would find value in what we have to say. In addition, Operating Room Directors and hospital personnel should think that our thoughts and expertise are worth reading.

We are often asked that since we are not in the OR 24/7 where else do we find inspiration? Through continued attendance and exhibiting in various trade shows, Texas Academy Physician Assistants and AORN, we stay updated on current and new trends in the our industry and healthcare overall. These venues are key to allowing us to introduce, as well as expand, your knowledge in new innovative ideas in surgical assistance, medical billing and healthcare in general.

What kind of topics can you expect to read? ProAssist will communicate about various topics, such as: medical billing, medical assistant billing, medical collections, surgical training techniques and more via our blog on a weekly basis. This will help provide career pathways for physician extenders who want to work in the operating room as well as patient care perioperatively. Of course, we’ll have the occasional “just for the fun of it” blog - because after all, we do try to have some fun on occasion.

ProAssist is one of the largest and most diverse billing companies in healthcare. Tune in next week to learn more about medical and medical assist billing.