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From his very first days as an intern, Dr. Joel Roskind believed
that good medical care must be patient oriented. Joel Roskind
believes that because patients put so much trust into the
ability of doctors, that doctors have a special obligation
to make sure that the patients get the best possible care
in the safest possible environment.
During his 30-year career as a surgeon and teacher, Dr. Joel
Roskind developed areas of interest which enabled him to make
even broader and more comprehensive contributions to patient
wellbeing. One of those special interests is that of operating
room safety inspector and patient safety advocate.. As a practicing
surgeon, Dr. Roskind experienced first hand the massive changes
sweeping through the healthcare industry. Medical costs were
skyrocketing and insurance companies were balking at paying
for hospital based procedures and visits. As a result, there
was an explosion of medical/surgical procedures being performed
outside the hospital. These new procedure oriented venues
included doctors’ offices themselves, and a new entity - the
non hospital affiliated free standing ambulatory surgical
center. Seeing this trend and realizing the implications for
patients, Dr. Roskind pursued his interest in this emerging
arena. Thus, in addition to and contemporaneous with his activities
as a board certified plastic surgeon in private practice,
Dr. Joel Roskind worked with the American Association for
Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities(AAAASF, or
quad A) as a Facility Inspector. He was tasked with examining
these free standing ambulatory surgical facilities to assure
100% compliance with the rigid safety criteria established
by the quad A. The quad A quickly became the gold standard
for certification of these facilities. Other less stringent
certifying organizations were and still are available to grant
accreditation. But these other groups require only partial
(for example 80%) compliance, and to lesser standards than
those of the AAAASF. Soon, many states fell in line and required
their ambulatory facilities to adhere either to their own
boards of health standards, or to those of the quad A. In
fact, the quad A has been and still is instrumental in developing
and updating these standards for the various states. Now,
most major health care insurers insist on these facilities
being 100% certified, and condition their coverage of services
provided based on this certification. Dr. Roskind did this
work because he believed strongly that patients needed to
be protected by stringent standards.
Today, as a dedicated physician and plastic surgeon retired
from private practice, Dr. Roskind has succeeded in turning
his interest in patient safety in the operating room environment
into an additional aspect of the issue. Dr. Joel Roskind works
as a consultant to physicians and surgeons helping them prepare
their ambulatory surgical facilities for certification.
Another area of Dr. Roskind’s interest comes from his 30 years
of experience in running his large and successful practice.This
aspect of Doctor Roskind’s expertise has developed into a
field now called practice management. This includes topics
such as how to hire and train staff, set up electronic management
systems, how to prevent errors,and most importantly how
to deal most effectively with patients. A well run medical
practice benefits all who are affected by that practice. Doctor
Roskind acts as a consultant to other physicians, and shares
his knowledge and expertise with those who seek his help and
advice in setting up their practice to be efficient and successful.
To reach Dr. Joel Roskind, MD, FACS
Jroskind1@mac.com
Resume of Dr. Joel Roskind |
