December is a time of high case volume in most US operating rooms. This is mostly because the high deductibles of some insurances have been reached and that means the rest of the year is on insurance’s dime.
It is also a time of high fat, high calorie partying which plays havoc on blood sugars. But that’s another story.
Mostly it is because the deductible has been reached.
This means that all six of our ORs have been running full tilt since the beginning of November.
To say nothing of December.
Having holidays in the middle of the mess does nothing to alleviate it.
It is now the end of January and our case volume hasn’t slowed down.
In the evenings it has even picked up.
When will December end?
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 