Pre-Anesthesia Clinic

The Department of Anesthesiology opened a comprehensive UW Health
Pre-Anesthesia Clinic on October 3, 2023. The new clinic expands our reach and provides a better evaluation process to prepare our patients for surgery. Additionally, the pre-anesthesia clinic has resulted in improved patient and health system outcomes and increased patient and family satisfaction. Dr. William Hartman leads the clinic, leveraging his expertise in enhancing pre-anesthesia care systems. Hartman recruited 14 faculty members to staff the clinic upon its opening. Clinical operations receive support from Anne Barnett, PA, Ericka Fehrenbach Prell, NP, Clinical PASS Clinic RNs, and rotating residents.

Providing Patient-Centric Care

Timely preparation of surgical patients decreases their risk of complications and reduces costs related to longer hospital stays and readmissions. The new clinic, located in East Madison Hospital, dramatically increases the number of surgical patients we consult each year—from approximately 6,000 today to more than 22,000. In the past, nurses in our pre-anesthesia surgical service (PASS) clinic conducted chart reviews and phone screens to risk-stratify patients identified by the surgical clinics.

In contrast, our new, comprehensive pre-anesthesia clinic risk stratifies patients based on comorbidities and/or surgical risk and allows for both in-person and virtual patient consultations.

Future Focused

Over time, we expect the new clinic to become a perioperative service, with a greater focus on optimizing patients and an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) approach to many service lines. Eventually, it will also provide pre-habilitation for patients in need of baseline health improvements prior to surgery.