Perioperative medicine is emerging as an innovative, comprehensive, whole-systems approach to patient care before, during, and after surgery, reducing complication rates and length of hospital stay, leading to better health outcomes, and improving health system performance, says a special article in the first online edition. anesthesiologya peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
Perioperative medicine describes a more organized and coordinated surgical process in which multiple specialties collaborate to increase efficiency and improve patient safety. It envisions surgical care as a collaborative approach between surgeons, anesthesiologists, primary care physicians, nurses, and other professionals, all working together to manage complex patients at every stage of surgery. ”
Maxime Canneson, MD, American Society of Anesthesiologists, Chair, Center for Perioperative Medicine
Canneson is also a member of the writing workgroup.
Perioperative care includes surgical review and risk assessment, steps to optimize patient condition before surgery, comprehensive care in the operating room and during recovery, and provision of ongoing patient care and follow-up.
Our perioperative care approach emphasizes teamwork, leadership, communication, and wellness, prioritizing quality of life, function, and experience, not just technical success.
“For patients and families, this translates into earlier and more meaningful preparation for surgery, fewer cancellations and delays, clearer communication between the medical team, and fewer complications, all of which directly impact recovery, cost, and peace of mind,” said Thomas R. Vetter, MD, corresponding author of the journal paper and member of the ASA Center for Perioperative Medicine. “Perioperative medicine provides an opportunity to improve long-term health by preparing patients to be healthier before surgery.”
This special article provides the latest information and field consensus from the 2024 and 2025 Perioperative Healthcare Practitioners Summit hosted by ASA’s Center for Perioperative Medicine (CPMed). This article incorporates real-world perspectives from a variety of experts involved in surgical care in the national and international medical community.
This feature article situates perioperative care within the context of ongoing pressures on the health care system, including understaffing, staff burnout, and accountability for patient outcomes. This highlights how perioperative care is a practical solution to emerging episode-based and value-based payment models, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM).
Assessing the economic impact of perioperative medical interventions is an important step in implementing value-based surgical care. “Health systems will benefit from improved processes of care and improved patient-reported outcomes,” Dr. Caneson said. “These improvements will make perioperative care a system-level investment and an organizational function that requires governance, metrics, and financial coordination.”
Based on their discussions, participants at the CPMed Perioperative Medicine Summit developed a “forward-looking roadmap” that defines the future of perioperative medicine over the next 10 years. Successful initiatives require the collaboration of four integrated pillars: clinical care, education, research, and leadership. “Advances in one area alone are not enough,” Dr. Caneson says. “Sustained improvement requires employee training, standardized outcome research, and the simultaneous development of effective leadership structures to support multidisciplinary teams.”
sauce:
American Association of Anesthesiologists
Reference magazines:
Anushka, Massachusetts others (2026) Advances in perioperative medicine: A multistakeholder perspective. Molecular psychiatry. DOI: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000006072. https://journals.lww.com/anesthesiology/fulltext/9900/advancing_perioperative_medicine__a.1019.aspx.
