RDD Center's Safety Protocol

Important factors to consider for Rapid Drug Detox:

• Comprehensive pre-exams are completed prior to the detox procedure; complete physical, blood work, urinalysis, drug screen, EKG, psychological evaluation and if necessary a stress echocardiogram test and chest X-Ray
• Admittance to a JCAHO Accredited Hospital
• Patients treated and monitored by our 4 RDD staff physicians
• Actual detoxification procedure performed in an "Operating Room"
• 2 "Board Certified" physicians present in the O.R. during the detoxification procedure
• Post procedure "recovery room" hospital monitoring all night by a "Board Certified" RDD physician until stable and discharged, typically the following morning
• Post procedure "One-on-One" hospital recovery room private duty nursing care all afternoon and all night
• IV infusions of vitamins and electrolytes to replenish nutrients and speed the healing process
• After hospital discharge patients will rest in their own private hotel suite for a few days of rest and observation. Patients will receive 24 hour a day monitoring and medical coverage by an experienced RDD medic until final discharge to return home
• An RDD Physician will visit and assess the patient daily after hospital discharge
• Post treatment medical coverage for at least for 30-45 days
• Prescription for 1 year of the non narcotic opiate blocking medication Naltrexone
• 24 hour a day, 7 days a week access to knowledgeable medical staff

• RDD patients receive expert medical care conducted by a Board Certified Internal Medicine Doctor and includes a comprehensive physical, complete blood work, EKG, urinalysis, psychological evaluation by a Licensed PhD Psychologist experienced in drug addiction, chest x-ray if deemed necessary, stress echo cardiogram performed by a Board Certified Cardiologist for all males over 40 years of age and all females over 45 years of age and for all patients at any age if deemed necessary.
• Our patients receive an anesthesia evaluation by our Board Certified Anesthesiologist prior to the patient undergoing anesthesia.
• Our patients are admitted into a JCAHO ACCREDITED HOSPITAL and will typically be ready for discharge the following day. This type of environment will ensure a safe and comfortable detoxification where the patient will receive the necessary care and monitoring. JCAHO Accreditation will ensure that the hospital has received the "Gold Seal" of approval; the most important accreditation for a medical facility and will guarantee that strict guidelines are followed to ensure patient's safety.
• Our patients are detoxed in the Hospital's Operating Room to ensure the proper care and monitoring that only this type of environment can offer.
• Our Internal Medicine Doctor and our Anesthesiologist are present in the Operating Room for the entire detoxification treatment of each patient.
• If patient chooses the surgical placement of the Naltrexone Implant/Pellet, it is placed by our Board Certified Internal Medicine doctor, not our anesthesiologist, while our patient is under anesthesia. It is against medical board rules for an anesthesiologist to do any surgery while a patient is under anesthesia, no matter how minor. An anesthesiologist is needed to closely monitor the patient while they are under anesthesia. Placement of our Naltrexone Implant/Pellet is always placed by our Internal Medicine physician.
• Our patients are not placed under anesthesia by a nurse anesthetist. We do not employ nurse anesthetists for our detox procedure. All patients are anesthetized by our Board Certified Anesthesiologist, present for the entire detoxification treatment.
• Our physicians, Dr. Sharon M. Schafer, M.D., Anesthesiologist, and Dr. Edith Nemeth, M.D., Internist, are present during the entire detoxification procedure. All physicians are Board Certified and experienced in their specialty. Board Certification ensures they are knowledgeable medical experts in their specialty and have passed rigorous testing to receive certification in their particular field of medicine.
• Our patients are not detoxed in an outpatient surgery center. To ensure the proper safety, care and monitoring, all patients are admitted into a JCAHO Accredited Hospital and are placed into the Operating Room for the detox procedure and then remain in the hospital at least overnight or longer until stable and discharged.
• RDD Center does not discharge the patient to a hotel just hours after the procedure. We feel it is much safer, therefore necessary for patients to remain in the hospital to receive proper medical care, monitoring, IV vitamin and electrolyte infusions at least overnight after their detoxification procedure.
• After the detoxification procedure, all patients are transferred to the recovery room area where they will receive intravenous infusion of vitamins and electrolytes to start the healing process. Our patients will rest and be monitored in the recovery room where they will receive sedation for the entire night. Our patients will be monitored by our RDD hospital physician Dr. Elliotte Moss, M.D., board certified in internal medicine attending to just our patients. Dr. Moss will remain at the hospital with our patients for the entire night until discharge the following morning.
• The hospital stay will also include "one on one" private duty bedside care with an experienced licensed medical personnel for the entire night at the hospital, with direct supervision from the RDD facilities medical team physician, registered nurses and circulating Licensed Paramedics.
• After discharge from the hospital, our patients will stay at a nearby hotel for a few days of rest and observation in the privacy and comfort of their suite.
• While at the Embassy Suites Hotel, our patient care includes 24 hour "around the clock monitoring" by "on site" licensed medics that have years of experience with our post detox patients. Patients will be seen every day by our physicians, Dr. Hamed and Dr. Nemeth, while they convalesce at the hotel. Our paramedics will remain at the hotel with our patients until every patient is discharged and leaves for home.
• Prior to our patients leaving for home, our Internal Medicine Doctor, Dr. Nemeth M.D., will visit and assess the patient for final discharge.
• Once the patient returns home from their detox treatment, they will have immediate access by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including all holidays, to address any questions to a knowledgeable and experienced medical professionals; a nurse, a staff member with a degree in pharmacy and our internal medicine doctor, for as long as needed.
• Patients will have access to medication that may be needed for sleep and comfort for at least 30 days after their detoxification treatment. Our physicians will call in prescriptions to patient's local pharmacy, if needed.
• All medical records will be held by the RDD Center to ensure strict confidentiality and all HIPPA privacy rules will be enforced.

Staff Physicians at RDD Center:
RDD Center is the only anesthesia detox center that has 2 Board Certified doctors present during the entire detox procedure.

Dr. Sharon M. Schafer M.D. - Anesthesiologist - Board Certified
Dr. Edith Nemeth M.D. - Internal Medicine - Board Certified
Dr. Gary Gunther - PhD Psychologist
Dr. Mark Hamed M.D. - Resident physician
Dr. Elliotte Moss M.D. - Hospital staff physician

Board Certified Cardiologists:
Our physicians performing the stress echocardiogram tests.

Dr. Demetris Demitriou M.D.
Dr. Lynn Miller M.D.
Dr. Alan Silverman D.O.
Dr. Mark Goldberg M.D.
Dr. Allan Chernick M.D.
Dr. Larry Goldman M.D.
Dr. Melissa Stevens M.D.