Do you know who your competitors for surgical volume are going to be? It may not be the hospital or surgery center down the street or even across town. Your competitor could be in the next state or even across the country, at least for some types of surgery. Big…
With patient safety as its primary goal, the University of Michigan Health System has created a new process using bar-coded sponges and electronic radiology orders to ensure no items are unintentionally left in a patient during surgery. Electronic orders provide for a standardized process that not only is safer but…
Do you know where your OR's process is at most risk for an error that could lead to wrong-site surgery? A South Carolina health system identified its improvement opportunities and came up with solutions as part of a national project with the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare (CTH). Five…
Technology is starting to take its place as a supplement to manual counts in the effort to prevent retained surgical items (RSIs). RSIs persist despite the emphasis many ORs have placed on tightening their manual counting methods. Recent reports from California are an example of the challenge ORs are up…
