Over the past two decades, we have seen a shift in the paradigm of medicine with increasing emphasis on value-based care, cost effectiveness and patient satisfaction. In an effort to better align perioperative management with these goals, anesthesiologists and surgeons have focused on identifying strategies to improve the patient experience and increase efficiency. The development of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols and the creation of Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) programs are innovative approaches that have garnered significant attention in recent years as a means of optimizing care delivery in the current health care climate.
The ERAS protocol concept was first explored in Denmark in the late 1990s in order to decrease morbidity and allow for more rapid discharge of patients after open colorectal surgery. This pathway proposed a multimodal approach to reducing the pathophysiologic stress response after surgery, with subsequent decreases in morbidity and health care costs. Because of...
