Your plastic surgery procedure is an elective option that you choose to look and feel better. Because the choice to have cosmetic surgery is so personal, you have taken the time to research the many ways you can improve your appearance, as well as the surgeon you entrust with your care. One other aspect that should be carefully reviewed, though, is the safety of the surgical center. Here are some tips for recognizing a high-quality facility that excels at patient safety.
Licensure
Like plastic surgeons, the facilities in which they operate should be licensed by the state Department of Health. If you search for Kole Plastic Surgery Center on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website, you will see the following listing for our facility:
Kole Plastic Surgery Center
Type of facility: Ambulatory Surgical Center
Status: Open
1122 Street Rd STE 100, Southampton, PA 18966
215-315-7655
We have been a licensed Ambulatory Surgical Center since 2005, and we have board-certified anesthesiologists and fully-licensed RNs who assist in patient care with each and every procedure.
Facility Design and Operating Standards
Take a look inside our facility, and you will see evidence of our commitment to patient safety, such as:
- A clean and organized space that enhances patient flow and safety.
- A dedicated operating room and separate recovery room.
- Two utility rooms to prevent cross-contamination – one utility room is used only for clean instruments, and the second is used only for holding and sterilizing dirty/used instruments.
- An emergency backup generator to ensure electricity during power outages
- Hospital level HEPA filtration for all Operating Room and Recovery Room air handling.
The quality of the physical surgical facility should be complemented by further evidence of commitment to patient safety 
through operational standards that are followed by each and every member of the staff. Some of the ways to determine if the operating standards are patient-centered and implemented to promote and protect patient safety are to ask for evidence of:
- The facility being evaluated by peer surgeons. This is standard practice in the field of plastic surgery where other surgeons come into the facility and determine if safety protocols are being followed consistently.
- Review of protocols for fires, “Code Blues,” transfers and other emergencies that may occur in a surgical facility and medical practice.
- Tracking of trigger events, such as sterilization checks, infections, staff training and other operational aspects that impact patient safety.
- Logs for medical record checks that verify that patient information is accurate and current.
- Logs for checking the inventory of emergency medications as well as the expiration dates of drugs that are maintained in the facility.
- Records showing that the patient’s care and treatment are routinely reviewed.
- Patient rights and responsibilities being prominently displayed in the waiting area.
- Policies and procedures being implemented to ensure that all staff positions are held by individuals with the appropriate training and credentials.
- Anesthesia only being administered by a Board Certified anesthesiologist.
- Quality controls are implemented that ensure the staff follows best standards for surgical facilities.
Do All Surgical Facilities Make Patient Safety a Priority?
Unfortunately, the popularity of plastic surgery means that patients like you are susceptible to having procedures performed in practices that may not meet the standards of safety and patient care. The majority of surgical facilities operate without the proper licensure, and peer reviews and inspections are never implemented. The reason is that a commitment to patient safety does add to the operational budget of a facility. One of the red flags to look for is a plastic surgery practice that offers procedures using only local anesthesia. Chances are that the facility does not have an anesthesiologist or the required dedicated space to meet the licensure requirements.
