Elements of Acute Care Surgery Program

• On-call period lasts continuously for one week, not 24 hours, to improve continuity of care. During the on-call period, elective clinics or procedures, which might disrupt or conflict with acute surgical care, are minimized.
  
• A resident or attending should evaluate the patient within 30 minutes of consultation during business hours and within 45 minutes during off-hours.
  
• If the resident is unavailable, then the on-call attending will be contacted directly to see the patient independently.
  
• Patients requiring special expertise are initially assessed by the team and then reassigned (triaged) to a higher level of expert care as indicated.
  
• After the on-call period, the care of inpatients and consults are handed off to the next on-call surgeon in a group-practice model.
  
• Patient safety is enhanced though increased resident supervision and improved signouts.
  
• Revenue stems primarily from a per diem payment from the hospital, procedural fees, and attending documentation of non-operative care.