Behind the curtain: perfecting patient care

Thomas W. Durick, MD

Assistant Professor - Clinical
Associate Director, Ambulatory Anesthesia Division
Anesthesia Clinical Operations Director - Outpatient Care New Albany Department of Anesthesiology

Dr. Durick brings over 30 years of experience in private practice anesthesia, with more than 20 of those years dedicated to managing every aspect of ambulatory surgery centers. His extensive background includes running facility billing offices, ordering medications, and negotiating contracts. Dr. Durick aims to leverage his two decades of management and financial expertise to make positive changes at OCNA's ambulatory surgery center.

The passion for his work and the culture at OCNA are evident in Dr. Durick's approach. He thrives in the environment they have cultivated at the surgery center, which he believes significantly impacts their patients, staff, and providers. He finds immense satisfaction in coming to work each day, motivated by the dedication of the healthcare workers who share a genuine care for both their patients and one another. This sense of community and mutual respect is what makes their culture truly special.

Dr. Durick's leadership is evident in his approach to patient care. "I enjoy giving our patients the plan for their anesthetic and making it happen daily just as we told them it would. I'm grateful to be in this position to lead the innovative care we provide at the surgery center at OCNA. I enjoy leading the personalized care we give at OCNA and knowing we are impacting the lives of our patients in all we do."

His commitment to excellence extends to every aspect of the work. "I want every single person who enters our surgery center to expect and experience excellence. Every one of our patients, staff, and physicians should walk into the surgery center at OCNA and expect excellence every day. That is what has driven me for the last 34+ years of doing anesthesia and all the facilities I've managed … the desire to achieve and expect excellence."

Dr. Durick takes immense pride in his team's achievements. He is proud to see how their culture has become one of striving for excellent patient care and efficiency in everything they do. The staff's tremendous pride in caring for their patients and the compassion involved in that care is a source of inspiration for him.

Dr. Durick is also deeply appreciative of the recognition his team receives. "It is truly overwhelming! As an Anesthesiologist, most of what we do is never seen. If the patient wakes up as planned, we simply did our job since that is what is expected and very few understand the work we do 'behind the curtain' to make that happen every case every day. The same 'behind the scenes' work goes on every day to make the surgery center more efficient, improve the process of how we do things, and embrace new technologies and medications to improve the patient care experience for our patients and those who care for them! To have those efforts recognized is never WHY we do what we do, but it makes our 'WHY' much more impactful. It is a magnificent honor."