The Business of Surgery The Hospital Safety Score, issued twice yearly, uses national performance measures from the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the American Hospital Association. Leapfrog rated 2,571 hospitals on their ability…
Some healthcare facility leaders have managed to reduce or even eliminate the incidence of retained surgical items (RSIs), but vulnerability remains despite increased focus on this problem. A 2015 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association cited a median estimate for RSIs: one event per 10,000 procedures, with…
Most OR leaders today are concerned about the growing problem of diabetes in surgical care. More than 30 million people in the US now have diabetes mellitus, and many studies have demonstrated its adverse impact on surgical outcomes. The challenge is translating this research into practice. Managing diabetes is always…
In this challenging healthcare environment, OR leaders have a fiscal responsibility to help hospitals meet financial goals that contribute to a healthy bottom line. There is no more expensive procedure you can have in the hospital than to spend time in the OR,” says Keith Siddel, PhDc, JD, MBA, CHC.…
The perioperative surgical home (PSH) has been gaining momentum, with early results linking it to lower costs, better quality, fewer emergency department (ED) visits and readmissions, and shorter stays in skilled nursing facilities or none at all. In February, the PSH Learning Collaborative, a partnership between the American Society of…
Affordable, reliable care for adult and pediatric patients alike is the hallmark of the perioperative surgical home (PSH), as demonstrated by two organizations that are using PSH programs: a community health system and a children’s hospital. Leaders from both organizations shared their PSH journeys with OR Manager. Lower costs, shorter…
Type 1 natural rubber latex allergic reactions are avoidable in the OR. Typically, surgical gloves are the last products remaining in the OR that contain natural rubber latex (NRL). Higher-cost, clinically acceptable synthetic latex surgical gloves are readily available. However, OR leaders can encounter significant resistance from hospital administrators when…
Total joint replacements have grown rapidly in recent years, thanks to an aging population and advances in surgical techniques and pain management. As a result, many healthcare facilities have added joint and spine procedures to their service lines. Others would like to know how to do this. What’s involved in…
Although many healthcare providers are still struggling to implement a value-based payment (VBP) model, everyone knows that the train has left the station and adjustments must be made. Shifting to a VBP system, expanding surgical patient care to “population health,” and developing a new generation of perioperative nurses are among…
Communication tools such as briefings, debriefings, handoffs, and checklists are considered cornerstones of surgical patient safety, but they’re only effective when used correctly. In many ORs, steps may be skipped that later are linked to adverse events that should not have happened. Greater mindfulness and proper implementation of communication tools…
