Leading regional anesthesia and
acute pain medicine practice for orthopedics
The Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Management at Hospital for Special Surgery is known for the skill of its expert staff, commitment to innovative research, and emphasis on specialized education. Each member of the team is driven to advance the practice of regional anesthesia for orthopedics.
In 2019, our expert staff performed over 51,000 anesthetic procedures for patients undergoing a full spectrum of orthopedic procedures. Our exceptional clinical outcomes — including a "99th percentile" ranking for in-patient analgesic satisfaction, New York State’s lowest infection rates, and low incidence of thromboembolic and cardiovascular complications — are due in large part to the skill and training of our anesthesiologists.
To advance our mission to improving anesthesia care for orthopedics, the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Management offers robust, innovative education to its fellows, residents, and attending staff.
The Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QA/PI) Division within the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Management aims to improve system issues, enhance patient safety and improve the quality of care through research, education, and evidence-based practice improvement.
The QA/PI Division ensures the Department is providing the best care to patients by:
The QA/PI Division develops and maintains robust databases to track and trend outcomes, maintains all physician/provider profiles for credentialing purposes, and collaborates with other departments to organize interdisciplinary conferences and develop best practice guidelines.
To keep the department up to date on new policies, processes or any other pertinent information, the QA/PI team distributes a monthly email newsletter to staff anesthesiologists. The QA/PI team is also responsible for orientating all new providers (attendings, fellows, residents, CRNAs, NPs, and PAs) to the QA/PI Division.
HSS wins two Best of Meeting Abstract awards and Patient Safety Award at 2024 ASRA Annual Meeting
Topics included whether dronabinol provides pain relief, if diabetes meds increase aspiration risk, & anesthesia safety in Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
HSS Presentations and New Research at ASRA 2024
At ASRA's 49th spring conference, HSS presents 20 abstracts, including 2 Best of Meeting awards, 3 President’s Choice abstracts, and a Patient Safety Award.
Dr. Christopher Wu is Named the 2024 Gaston Labat Award Winner
This award honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the development, teaching and practice of regional anesthesia.
The Regional Anesthesiology Fellowship Directors Association (RAFDA) officially formed in 2024
Two of the 7 board members are Mary Hargett who serves as a Director-at-Large, and Mandip Kalsi, MD who is President-Elect. Congratulations!