Top Med Talk hosted HSS rheumatologist Linda A. Russell, MD, live on-air to discuss preoperative assessment and postoperative care for orthopedic surgery patients.

Dr. Russell explained that HSS physicians follow a specific set of guidelines to assess patients preoperatively before surgery. The guidelines are coordinated by the Department of Perioperative Medicine, but all the decisions are made by an interdisciplinary group of HSS health professionals.

"We have a surgeon on the committee, we have an anesthesiologist, nursing… I've found that to really have a successful program...everyone from the beginning has to agree to it," Dr. Russell explained.

By approaching a patient's preoperative assessment collaboratively, Dr. Russell she noted that HSS staff are able to optimize surgical outcomes.

This interview originally appeared at topmedtalk.com