The Business of Surgery Editor’s Note: This article from Whitman Partners addresses some ways OR nurse leaders can help their health systems recover from the financial fallout and disruption in normal processes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitman Partners is a Portland, Oregon-based specialty search firm dedicated to placing directors of surgical services at…
Across the US, surgical services are estimated to comprise around 20% of national health spending and typically generate up to 70% of total health system revenue.1, 2 That makes surgical services the largest revenue generator for a hospital, supporting access to numerous other healthcare services. Considering the average hospital has…
Imagine that during a total joint surgical procedure, debris comes out of a surgical instrument and lands directly inside a patient’s open wound. Although such a scenario is rare, when it does occur, it creates a major patient infection risk. Many standards and guidelines recommend best practices that can help…
Any process improvement project is far more likely to succeed with backing from leadership. The familiar phrase, “the buck stops here,” reflects a mindset that applies to OR managers who take ownership of what happens to their patients and their staffs every day. But what if they could say, “the…
The COVID-19 pandemic is top of mind for ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders, finds the OR Manager 2020 Salary/Career Survey. Most of the 69 ASC leaders who completed the survey responded to an open-ended question about how the pandemic had affected their facility and staff, with the most frequent comments…
With more technologically advanced procedures being performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), it’s increasingly important to monitor data on supplies and manage physician preferences for particular implants. Physicians don’t always realize that reimbursement is lower for many procedures performed in an ASC than in hospitals, and therefore they may not…
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on OR managers’ lives, according to the 2020 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Many new developments related to the pandemic have occurred and continue to evolve since the spring and early summer, when the survey was deployed. However, the concerns stated by many…
Leaders at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System in Richmond started the journey to become an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) hospital in 2016 with the following problem statement: Across surgical specialties, and regardless of superior surgical technique, perioperative care, and anesthesia care, patients can experience extended length of hospital…
Nearly a third (30%) of ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders have experienced layoffs of direct care staff during the past year, according to the 2020 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey, up from a mere 4% in 2019. COVID-19 is the likely culprit: Most of the comments received in response to…
Spikes in coronavirus cases starting in late June threatened to overwhelm hospitals in several states. Utah is one such state, but steps previously taken at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City suggest the 23-hospital system will be able to manage a surge. Leaders at Inova Health System in Falls Church,…
