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Anesthesia: Driving Surgical Volume
69 Plays6 days ago
Colleen Ramirez, Chief Administrative Officer at Bone & Joint Surgery Center of Novi, and Dr. Michael Bernard, Director of Anesthesia, join the show to share how they work together to drive case volume, choose which cases to accept, and stay profitable—all while maintaining a strong clinical partnership.
In our news recap, we’ll cover the first ever ASC in the Dominican Republic, a new ASC joint venture, the rising demand for dental surgeries, and, of course, end the news segment with a positive story about how engineers have discovered a way to turn dental floss into a vaccine.
Lastly, an exciting update: starting next week, Erica Palmer will be handing over hosting duties to Alex Larralde!
Resources Mentioned:
- One World Surgery Opens First Ever ASC in DR
- Solara Surgical Partners, Orlando Health Announce New ASC Joint Venture
- Demand Rises for Dental Surgery in ASCs
- Engineers transform dental floss into needle-free vaccine
Brought to you by HST Pathways.
Recommended
Transcript
Welcome and Episode Overview
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to This Week in Surgery Centers. If you're in the ASC industry, then you're in the right place. Every week, we'll start the episode off by sharing an interesting conversation we had with our featured guest.
00:00:12
Speaker
And then we'll close the episode by recapping the latest news impacting surgery centers. We're excited to share with you what
Guest Introductions: Colleen Ramirez & Dr. Michael Bernard
00:00:19
Speaker
we have. So let's get started and see what the industry's been up to.
00:00:28
Speaker
Hi, everyone. Here's what you can expect on today's episode. Colleen Ramirez is the chief administrator officer at the Bone and Joint Surgery Center of Novi. And Dr. Michael Bernard is the director of anesthesia at the same facility. And he's also the chief medical officer at Ambulatory Anesthesia Solutions.
00:00:47
Speaker
not only have they figured out a way to work seamlessly together, but they have also figured out a way to stay profitable. So together, they'll share how they work with one another to drive case volume and collaborate on which cases to accept.
Host Transition Announcement
00:01:02
Speaker
In our news recap, we'll cover the first ever ASC in the Dominican Republic, a new ASC joint venture, the rising demand for dental surgeries, and of course, end and the new segment with a positive story about how engineers have discovered a way to turn dental floss into a vaccine.
00:01:21
Speaker
I mentioned this last week, but want to remind everyone again that there are some very exciting changes coming to this week in surgery centers. Starting next week, I will be handing over my hosting duties to Alex Lurald.
00:01:34
Speaker
You heard her last week when she interviewed Wes Baptiste, and I'm so thrilled that she'll be handling things moving forward. I have, of course, loved every minute of hosting this podcast for the last three years, and I am very sad to be stepping away, but I can't wait to just become an avid listener myself and hear Alex's fresh perspective and take on the industry.
00:01:55
Speaker
So for the final time from me, i hope everyone enjoys the episode and here's what's going on this week in surgery centers.
Building ASC and Anesthesia Partnerships
00:02:07
Speaker
Hi, Colleen and Mike, welcome to the podcast. Hi, how are you? Hi, welcome. See you too. Colleen, let's start with you. Can you please share a little bit about your ASC experience?
00:02:18
Speaker
Sure. I've been perioperative nurse for just under 30 years in the ASC industry for 18, currently working in all orthopedic 6OR disorder in Novi, Michigan.
00:02:32
Speaker
And Mike, how about you? Yeah, so I've been an anesthesiologist for a little over 20 years now, and about seven plus years ago, I transitioned to a group that just covers outpatient surgery centers.
00:02:43
Speaker
So and I'm their medical director for the practice. So I cover a lot of different centers. At Colleen Center, I'm the director of anesthesia, so I work with her real closely. Perfect. Thank you. And I'm so excited to be sitting down with the both of you today because you have managed to build a very, you know, symbiotic and successful partnership.
00:03:02
Speaker
So what are some effective ways that ASCs can build a strong relationship with their anesthesia group? And how can you stay on the same page and just keep cases moving through the center?
00:03:12
Speaker
Well, I think no matter what, know, you have to build a relationship with your anesthesia providers, all of them. They have to be ah part of the decision-making process from start to finish. You have to go us through potentially adding them to your medical exec committee.
00:03:29
Speaker
And of course, having constant communication with them. It really makes for a lot of effective communication. And so we all know things pop up throughout the day and the week. And so having that person and point of contact daily, it really helps things flow through quite nice.
00:03:47
Speaker
Yeah, I think at Colleen Center, she does a nice job. They involve anesthesia on their like executive committee. So there's myself, and then we have like a lead CRNA as well. So there's two anesthesia providers that are involved in decision-making processes.
00:04:00
Speaker
We're not voting board members as we're not owners, but we're involved in decision-making. They involve us in scheduling things, because a lot of things that You know, people that doesn't affect anesthesia, they might be important things for us in terms of what makes cases flow quicker, that ultimately gets us out at the end of the day quicker, getting us involved in equipment decisions or medication decisions.
00:04:20
Speaker
So they support us. You know, we want to try to get as many cases through the center as possible. But then, know, they have to work with us to have the right equipment and supplies to help us do that. Yeah, I think that's such a good mindset because I feel like when I talk to a lot of surgery centers, they still think of their anesthesia group as this third party vendor instead of, you know, someone who is a true stakeholder in the facility. So I think that's a great foundation and culture that you guys have going on between your two groups.
00:04:51
Speaker
Yeah, I would say I'm in the back of dealing with schedulers, administrators, a decent amount of the day, you know, on a constant basis. Yeah. And I think too, if you can change your mindset when you're, if you're the administrative or center, you know, please treat anesthesia as if they're your employees. They have, they're a big part your team and, you know, invite them to lunches, have them, you know, work closely with you on all aspects from, do they have enough supplies? Do they have the right supplies? And you begin that foundation and it just blossoms from there.
00:05:26
Speaker
Yeah, that's great.
Collaborative Efforts on Admission Guidelines
00:05:28
Speaker
How it involving anesthesia and collaborating on admission guidelines affect how many cases the ASC can take on?
00:05:37
Speaker
Oh, I think that's the biggest hit that one of the the biggest, most important things you need to do as a starting point. I'll let you talk about that, how we did that in our center, Mike. Yeah. We took over the contract at Colleen Center about five years ago. And like one of the first things she tasked me with is she showed me the boarding criteria that they were currently using.
00:05:56
Speaker
And I looked at it and my just knee jerk reaction was this is very restrictive. So we looked at it you know, for example, there was a strict BMI cutoff. We removed that. And that's been kind of taboo when we tell other people that we really don't have a BMI cutoff.
00:06:10
Speaker
not saying we accept every patient, but, you know I said to her, I'm willing to increase the BMI limit, but we have to have support from the center's end. If we're positioning a patient, you know, it's a lot to ask of two people in a room to move a patient that weighs 350 pounds.
00:06:23
Speaker
So, you know, they have to provide the proper support so we can admit those patients. Or if we're taking in a patient that has a pacemaker or AICD, Her pre-op surgical testing department needs to do the proper due diligence to make sure those patients are, you know, properly vetted.
00:06:39
Speaker
And we have the required documents from the, you know, the cardiologist that manages those devices. So we're willing to bend, but they've got to give us the proper support to allow those cases.
00:06:50
Speaker
Yeah, agree. And I think too, you know, it's just pivotal to have, you know, those experienced PST nurses that are working closely. They have to be comfortable to to approach anesthesia. They have to know, you know, when and how to quickly ask them questions and to move cases to get their approval ahead of time to keep the flow going.
00:07:12
Speaker
But that relationship between them is key and they have to know the guidelines. And one of the things I love that Mike always tells them is, you know, Let's look at why we couldn't bring this person here.
00:07:24
Speaker
Give me those reasons first, because all we're looking at is, let's say a lot of red on the chart, which sometimes means they answered yes to something. And when you have a lot of that, it can really cloud your judgment. And I think it's important that they are dissecting through that with people that have a lot comorbidities so that they, we can always have the mindset of, you know, how can we bring this case here safely?
00:07:47
Speaker
And we do that in conjunction with them every day, all day. I see my PSU nurses going out. They'll set a chart on the anesthesiologist desk. And it's in minutes, they're back looking at that chart just to to make sure we can capture every case.
00:08:02
Speaker
There should be a real, real good reason they can't come there and they need to go to the hospital. And so that's what we do all day to keep that slow. Yeah, that and you answered my question. i' was going to ask you, how often do you look at, OK, here were like, say, 10 cases that we decided not to perform here.
00:08:18
Speaker
Are you retroactively looking at them or are you proactively looking at them? Well, our PST nurses will bring us charts on a daily basis. Any total joint review, no matter what, he's perfectly healthy, but they'll bring me charts all the time. And that's that's a process that takes a while to develop. Like they have to learn what we look for. There are certain medical problems that are more concerning to me than others.
Patient Assessment and Scheduling Communication
00:08:41
Speaker
And they've learned over time what those are or certain cases that are lower acuity. I'm going to a ah threshold that's a lot different than a higher acuity case. You know, if I'm doing a total joint versus a carpal tunnel,
00:08:51
Speaker
You know, some medical conditions aren't going to concern me as much. So those are things that are learned over time and working with them. Yeah. And let's not forget, you know, we there's a large portion of education that has to start at the office.
00:09:05
Speaker
It just has to, it has, you know, your surgeons, your PAs, whoever is the one who says, send that one to the surgery center. You're hoping that they're doing that 90% of the time. We've got to look at those benchmarks. It has to be 10% or less go to the hospital as a rule. And to have those schedulers, some of them are not clinical.
00:09:24
Speaker
So they don't understand what half of you know the diseases are that the patient has. And so we want to make sure there's continuous education. ah you know Their ability to pass a case to the hospital to fill up a block, let's say, could be a great case that the center can do safely. And so it's really just really breaking down those walls and building that mindset that You know, only 10% should go to the hospital, try to bring us everything else. And if we're reactive and we can answer their call, even if it's questionable and you pick up the phone and tell them to call someone someone and have, you know, have managers, have anyone, I'll answer the phone, you know, the phone and find out, you know, if this is something that we can get a quick answer for them so they can begin to board the case.
00:10:10
Speaker
Yeah. And every surgeon has my cell number. So they'll often text me and say, Hey, I got this person in the office. Do you think this is a fit? And the answer, you know, 95% the time is yes. you know, sometimes we might need a little due diligence, but you know, so they're encouraged to bring everything.
00:10:24
Speaker
Yeah, I love that because what I'm hearing is, one, there's they know how to get in touch with you, and then they're also not intimidated by having to ask and collaborate and say, should we admit this patient or not?
00:10:35
Speaker
And I think that's huge. Now, you mentioned the pre-surgical team, and I don't want to lose that. What role do they play when working with anesthesia to minimize last-minute cancellations?
00:10:47
Speaker
Yeah, they're invaluable. Often they're the liaison to the patient and also to the primary care docs or a specialist doctor. A lot of times they'll come to me with a patient that a really ugly looking chart with a lot of medical issues.
00:11:00
Speaker
And it might scare you at first look. And my response to them often is, what does the patient say? And usually if the patient's reliable and they'll say, oh yeah, I walk two miles a day. I'm like, okay, they're fine for a carpal tunnel or they're fine for that knee scope.
00:11:13
Speaker
I don't really need for them to do a lot of digging. So just often by them communicating and asking questions and talking to the patient, or sometimes they do have to reach out to a doctor, but they're your first line of defense to get those patients in.
00:11:26
Speaker
And from an administrative side, you know, all of your ministers out there, you know, make sure that your PSD department is robust. If you're performing higher QD cases, you know, these nurses need time and they can't feel overly rushed and just with not enough staff in that department.
00:11:44
Speaker
It is key. If you think of it from a financial standpoint, you know, and they're the gatekeepers to being able to allow for this, these majority of these cases to come through.
00:11:55
Speaker
And so they can't constantly feel pressured because they'll miss something. And so that's when you get a last minute cancellation. So you want to make sure you're putting in at our center, we have six hours, you know, five to 6,000 cases a year. I have four and a half FTEs in my TST department. And I'm I can always use one or two more to perform joint camps and education for staff. So, or for patients. So it's key to, that is where payroll dollars need to be invested.
00:12:22
Speaker
Especially when you have your guidelines that are a little more lenient, just to provide that nice blanket of safety. Sure. And okay so let's say someone from the presurgical team comes to you and says, hey, I don't know, I'm unsure what to do with this specific case.
00:12:41
Speaker
How can having deeper conversations with maybe the patient's primary care physician or specialist help get those borderline patients cleared? Yeah, sometimes you'll have a patient that's just not reliable.
00:12:54
Speaker
You know, they could be totally have sound mind, but they just don't really understand their medical issues or, you know, how in depth, if it's a valve problem, if it's severe or mild, or maybe they're just not physically able to walk because they're coming in for a knee replacement and they have too much pain. So they don't really know clinically what their activity level is because they're limited by their pain.
00:13:12
Speaker
So in those cases, you know you're going to have to reach out to their doctor, whether it's a primary doc or a specialist to get more information. So that's, that can be the difference between that patient being a no versus a yes.
00:13:23
Speaker
Or sometimes I have to get on the phone with the doc because they may not be relaying clear information to the pre-surgical testing nurse. Or, you know, we had a case recently where a cardiologist wrote a clearance note and all they wrote was high risk. And I'm looking through the information and nothing seemed that high risk.
00:13:38
Speaker
And I never got in touch with the cardiologist, but his office manager told me that's how he classified everybody. So, you know, I called the patient and the patient says, yeah, I'm walking, doing this and that. And I said, okay, no problem. I'll see you tomorrow.
Proactive Case Handling Strategies
00:13:50
Speaker
So you just got to reach out to people and can't be scared by initial view of something that might seem like a no, but if you really dig deep, you can find that they are actually, you know, more than suitable.
00:14:03
Speaker
Yes, I can't agree more. And again, you know, speaking on terms of the TST nurses, it's if you look at and I encourage everyone go through your questionnaires.
00:14:14
Speaker
If you're using an online platform, you know, even ask for that company to give you a couple comps and look at what other centers, the questions they're asking. You would be so surprised at, you know, like in our center, we'll have the physician office send over the patient's health history that they filled out there. So we get a glimpse and we do a pre-review of their health history in the event and you have to pull a clearance or whatever. But overall, it starts with those questions. And I encourage you to look at every single one of them. You can elicit all this information
00:14:45
Speaker
that the patient does at home themselves and get a lot of answers on those questions as a starting point. And it saves a ton of time. So look at your questionnaire and revise it. And then of course, you can always look at mine and use our questions because we try to put that time in on the front end that the patient is, you know, preferring themselves so that I'm not using payroll dollars in that arena.
00:15:08
Speaker
Sure. And how often do you guys revisit your the guidelines themselves? Was that kind of a one and done thing or you constantly making tweaks?
00:15:18
Speaker
Every year least. Not more. we I think, you know, with our quality improvement program, you you're always looking at I guess if there's an event, right? So if we have a case that goes to the hospital, we'll say, okay, why don't we trade to this patient? were they you know Which everyone's supposed to do anyway. But yeah we look at it deeper and say, you know would do we have thought this on the front end that this was going to happen, this scenario was going to happen in, let's say, the recovery room?
00:15:45
Speaker
or even in pre-op. And so, you know, our cancellations are very low, proud of them, quite frankly. And a lot of them are just a new onset arrhythmia, you know, cardiac arrhythmia or something like that, that we wouldn't have known otherwise. So, so it's just vital to do that.
Collaborative Profitability Strategies for ASCs
00:16:02
Speaker
Sure. So any final tips on how anesthesia, ASC leadership and the physician investors can all work together to just keep that schedule full?
00:16:16
Speaker
I think they really got to just work together closely, especially nowadays where anesthesia five years ago or more was never really a cost for a center. Where nowadays, fortunately, our center is still a profitable anesthesia contract. We don't require stipend, but I feel like that's more the norm is to have a stipend nowadays. So if you're not working together to try to find ways, for example, if a surgeon has four joints and they're accustomed to getting two rooms at the hospital, that's not really feasible at an ASC to bring in two separate anesthesia teams for two rooms.
00:16:46
Speaker
where if you have a quality turnover team, you can probably provide the same amount of time to get those four cases done as opposed to what they do in the hospital where they have, you know, a slower turnover. So everyone's got to discuss how do we accomplish that? Having enough staff for turnover.
00:17:01
Speaker
You know, there's little things that might not seem like a big deal to the surgery center, but when I brought them up to them, it affects the quality of life of the anesthesia department where, you know, if someone has seven or eight total joints in a day in one knee scope, they used to board the knee scope first just to get it out of the way. Where my answer to them was, why not book it last? Because I can't leave until that last patient leaves the center. So...
00:17:21
Speaker
We might as well get the joints done where I'm waiting for a joint for roughly two hours of recovery time. We can knock out the knee scope at the end of the day. So that saves Colleen probably 30 minutes of recovery time and it saves, you know, the anesthesia department. We're free labor, but it still saves us 30 minutes of our day.
00:17:37
Speaker
So it's like a win-win and by just not, by having that dialogue, we're able to accomplish those things. Yeah. And again, you know, really in have those discussions with your investors and just, you know, explain how distributions are directly related to efficiency and a full schedule.
00:17:55
Speaker
Hands down. And that means everyone has to you play ball when it comes to condensing the schedule. And if the surgeon doesn't have a full block and, you know, they only had six, five or six hours full and a nine hour block, you know, they need to follow another surgeon, either go first or go last. And you can keep track of that to make sure it's fair and equitable. And, but overall,
00:18:17
Speaker
It's really looking at that schedule all the time. i am constantly talking to my scheduler, probably see i take an hour and a half to two hours a day looking at my surgery schedule for the week, ensuring that we are communicating with our surgery schedulers, et cetera.
00:18:33
Speaker
And then of course I tie that all in with my conversations with our investors and our physicians so that, you know they're understanding why we are doing this and that the bottom line comes down to profitability and that's our goal.
00:18:47
Speaker
So yeah. And the anesthesia department also can help the center. I'll interact with the purchasing manager to find out, you know, if certain supplies are more expensive or less expensive. And if it doesn't change the outcome, I try to encourage the providers, know, they might not be educated or just aware that a certain product costs a lot more than something that's equally efficacious.
00:19:06
Speaker
So just by simply finding that out and communicating it, you could save money and have no difference in outcome. So you've got to be able to communicate and interact with the staff to know those things. Yeah, I think the level of transparency and collaboration and just ah open lines, ah you know, ah dialogue going back and forth between all the parties seems to be what is really has made this partnership a success. And I hope everyone listening can take that away and see how they could build that culture within their own facility and, you know, with their own anesthesia partners.
00:19:40
Speaker
All right. Final question. We do this every week with our guests. What is one thing our listeners can do this week to improve their surgery centers?
00:19:50
Speaker
I would say, you know, I would say pull out your boarding criteria. That's a quick thing. Just look at it and say, are you outdated? is there things, there's reasons that you can maybe say, instead of not bringing this case, find a reason why to bring a case.
00:20:04
Speaker
You know, if your BMI cutoff is artificially low and can you provide the support to allow cases that are, you know, heavier patients, if you're doing total joints, morbidly obese patients tend to be the ones that are young and well insured.
00:20:18
Speaker
So to to kick those cases out of your center, just surely on that criteria, you're really losing a lot for the center.
00:20:27
Speaker
My answer is to grab some baked goods and visit every single physician office that provides cases to your center and sit down with their schedulers, even for 15 or 20 minutes.
00:20:40
Speaker
ah Bring them some swag, whatever you have to do, but definitely they are the ones that's a ticket to bringing cases to your center. So I highly advise that you sit down periodically with them, but and ensure that they want to bring cases and they understand which ones can come.
00:20:57
Speaker
That is great advice. Thank you both so much for coming on today. We really appreciate it. right. Thanks, Erica. Thank you for having us.
ASC Expansion: Dominican Republic's First ASC
00:21:11
Speaker
As always, it has been a busy week in healthcare, so let's jump right in. One World Surgery just opened the first ever ambulatory surgery center in the Dominican Republic, a major milestone for healthcare access in the region.
00:21:25
Speaker
The new 25,000 square foot St. Mother Teresa Medical Center includes a surgery center, a primary care clinic, and visitor center, with services led by a local medical director and orthopedic surgeon.
00:21:39
Speaker
This is the nonprofit's second ASC, the first opened in Honduras in 2008. The Dominican Republic project began in 2019, but was delayed by COVID, hurricanes, and contractor challenges.
00:21:52
Speaker
Despite the setbacks, the facility began seeing patients through mobile missions that same year and received its official surgical certification in late 2024.
Joint Ventures and Industry Trends
00:22:02
Speaker
Since then, the team has performed over 30 surgeries, focusing on orthopedic general and ophthalmology cases based on local need, especially injuries among sugarcane field workers.
00:22:15
Speaker
The facility also serves as a training hub, supporting local staff with education and upskilling. Now, there are tons of inspiring stories if you are, one, familiar with One World Surgery, and two, if you read this article. But one example was they had an amputee that they actually turned and trained in to become a radiology tech, but it really just highlights the project's community impact.
00:22:38
Speaker
ah One World Surgery hopes to expand faster in the Dominican Republic than in Honduras and is actively seeking clinical volunteers to train staff and grow services. This is super exciting to hear.
00:22:49
Speaker
The ASC outpatient model is really helping to transform care globally. One World Surgery's work shows how ASCs can bridge critical healthcare gaps, even in underserved areas.
00:23:01
Speaker
If you're inspired by the work they're doing, ASC leaders can make a real impact by supporting OWS with donations, clinical expertise, or even joining a mission.
Dental Surgeries in ASCs: Opportunities & Challenges
00:23:13
Speaker
All right, in our second story, Solera Surgical Partners and Orlando Health are the latest to join forces.
00:23:20
Speaker
The two organizations announced a national joint venture aimed at expanding ASC access and streamlining surgical services across the country. Orlando Health is a major nonprofit healthcare system in Florida with a network of 20 plus hospitals, yeah ERs, and ASCs.
00:23:37
Speaker
And then Solera Surgical Partners, founded in 2003, focuses on ASC development, operations, and joint ventures. Both organizations say the partnership is grounded in aligned missions, delivering excellent care while supporting surgical teams.
00:23:52
Speaker
The goal is to build a nationwide ASC footprint by combining all the operational experience and resources and clinical strength. This move follows a rising trend. 2025 has already seen similar joint ventures between Cleveland Clinic and Region Surgical, and then Mount Sinai and Merit Healthcare.
00:24:11
Speaker
So what does this mean for ASCs? Joint ventures are not slowing down. They are just accelerating. More hospitals are recognizing the value of partnering with seasoned ASC operators.
00:24:22
Speaker
So for ASC leaders, especially those who are looking for an exit plan, now is really the time to explore partnerships that can you know get you to where you want to be, but can also offer both local impact and national scale.
00:24:37
Speaker
Okay, third story. There's a growing momentum behind dental surgery in ASCs. In this article from ASC Focus, they interviewed a few folks to try to understand why.
00:24:48
Speaker
So first was Dr. Robert Morgan, a pediatric dentist in Texas, and he says safety is the top reason he uses ASCs for procedures like dental rehab and abscess treatment.
00:25:00
Speaker
It's efficient and parents feel confident with the care their kids get, he explains. In fact, some of his cases that used to take two hours now wrap up in just 22 minutes. Adult patients are also reaping the benefits.
00:25:13
Speaker
Dr. Dane Jensen, an oral surgeon in Utah, highlights the consistent scheduling and tailored case cards major advantages. We're not getting bumped by hospital cases and everything's ready to go when we arrive.
00:25:27
Speaker
And ASCs like the one in Dixon, in Tennessee are packed with demand. They serve both pediatric dentists and surgeons, offering a steady operating room schedule, something not always guaranteed at hospitals, especially for Medicaid patients.
00:25:41
Speaker
And more procedures are being added to the CMS ASC covered procedures list, and that's helping drive this growth as well. But challenges remain, you know, inconsistent insurance coding, low Medicaid anesthesia reimbursements, and billing delays are still frustrating providers.
00:25:56
Speaker
Some insurers even use outdated fee schedules, ignoring newer dental codes. But still, there's still lots of progress. Insurance companies now have divisions just for dental surgeons, and CMS is adjusting its requirements to better fit dental care in ASCs.
00:26:12
Speaker
And so it's all just great signals that dental surgery and ASCs isn't just growing, but also evolving. And lastly, HST recently pulled data from dental clients who gave us permission to do so.
00:26:25
Speaker
So we analyzed 15,610 unique cases across centers from twenty twenty three to twenty twenty four and we saw that net revenue per case increased by eight percent rising from $1,566 $1,696.
Innovative Vaccine Delivery via Floss
00:26:44
Speaker
And then monthly case volume also grew from to cases on average.
00:26:50
Speaker
so this data just supports the article's conclusion that the demand for dental cases is really there And to end our new segment, on a positive note, researchers have developed a vaccine-coded floss that, when used on mice, triggered strong immune responses and even protected them from the real flu virus.
00:27:10
Speaker
The floss targets the area between your teeth and gums, which is highly absorbent. In experiments, mice that flossed with protein or flu-coated floss showed elevated antibody levels in their lungs, noses, feces, spleens, and even bone marrow.
00:27:26
Speaker
Now, it's really funny to picture mice flossing. sure they had some help, but nonetheless. To explore human potential, 27 volunteers flossed with dye-coated picks. About 60% of the dye was absorbed, and most said they preferred this method over a traditional shot.
00:27:43
Speaker
Experts say more testing is needed, especially in people with gum disease, but the concept is certainly promising. This could really reshape how vaccines are delivered, so no needles, no syringes, and could open the door to low-barrier, non-invasive preventative care.
Podcast Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:28:00
Speaker
And that officially wraps up this week's podcast. Thank you, as always, for spending a few minutes of your week with us. Make sure to subscribe or leave a review on whichever platform you're listening from. ah hope you have a great day, and we will see you again next week.