116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Mercy’s New Anesthesia Service Seeing Positive Results
Since February, Mercy has offered its own anesthesia services to patients across all procedural and surgical areas and done so without interrupting services for patients.
As Mercy celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, it is certainly taking time to look back and reflect. What it’s doing mostly though, is preparing for its future. From its founding by the Sisters of Mercy in 1900 to today, its mission has never wavered: to provide high-quality, patient-centered care to every person that walks through its doors.
It is with that in mind that Mercy set out on a new course to assemble its own, fully integrated anesthesia team. Since February, Mercy has offered its own anesthesia services to patients across all procedural and surgical areas and done so without interrupting services for patients.
The move allows Mercy to align services more closely with its broader goals, including improved patient access, streamlined scheduling, and enhanced coordination with surgical teams.
The anesthesia team is assembled and it’s going remarkably well with full anesthesia coverage. Every provider is an experienced, board-certified doctor with a commitment to the same high standards patients expect.
In fact, Mercy now has more anesthesia coverage than ever before. That means they can accommodate more surgeries and procedures, giving surgeons additional scheduling times and patients decreased time to surgical intervention. That’s a positive for the community and Mercy patients; Mercy’s founders would approve.
What’s more, there is also now additional, new dedicated coverage in some specific areas – including preoperative areas and OB – for quicker responses to patient needs, like epidurals.
Through this transition, patient satisfaction remains high, just as it always has. And it’s no surprise: the surgical teams and providers patients know and trust are still here, working closely with the latest technologies and our new anesthesia colleagues to deliver exceptional care.
This decision was part of a broader strategy that has served Mercy well over the years. Mercy has successfully developed practices in other key specialties, including cardiology, gastroenterology, and general surgery, among others. Each of these moves has added access for patients in the community and strengthened Mercy’s ability to respond to community needs with flexibility and excellence. By all accounts, patients and surgeons are already seeing the same benefits emerging in the area of anesthesiology.
“It’s been exceptional. The anesthesia team has been great. They’ve jumped in seamlessly and provided high-quality care,” said Dr. Sajida Ahad, general and bariatric surgeon.
“With more anesthesiology coverage, we can now also get patients in sooner because there’s more availability in the OR. It’s a win-win.”
As Mercy marks 125 years of service to the Cedar Rapids community, they are not just looking back; they’re looking ahead. By building for the future and investing in improved processes, people, and technology, it allows them to care for more patients more efficiently with The Mercy Touch.
Just as the founders of Mercy in 1900 knew when adding a hospital to Cedar Rapids, change is necessary to serve the community as it evolves. As history validates, that’s a good thing.
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