One of the last things ambulatory surgery center (ASC) staff want to do is transfer a patient to a hospital because it increases the risk of infection and patient discomfort, and it’s a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality measure (ASC-4). CMS and most states traditionally have not…

When it comes to buying medical-surgical supplies, quality, safety, and physician comfort are foremost—but that doesn’t mean price is no object. Even though ambulatory surgery center (ASC) staff often lack materials management expertise, they can achieve cost savings in several ways, especially if they brush up on terms used in…

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are taking a new look at the question of disaster response. Staff are not always informed about what emergencies might occur, or what they should do in response to the most likely scenarios. Likewise, many local emergency management agencies are not even aware of the ASCs…

Credentialing of physicians and other independent practitioners is facing increased scrutiny from surveyors, professional associations and, in some cases, the public—not necessarily because of compliance failures but because healthcare legislation and technology improvements have made the process a conversation topic. Thus it may be a good time to review the…

Building healthy relationships between leaders and employees is vital to the success of any organization. It’s especially important in perioperative services because of the teamwork needed to provide safe patient care. OR leaders must invest in their employees by fostering trust, job embeddedness, and employee commitment, empowerment, and accountability.  …

What were you doing in 1991? OR Manager was launching its annual Salary/Career Survey, and in reporting results of this year’s survey, we have included some “fun facts” from the past. One fact is that the average salary for ASC managers has risen from $43,887 in the survey’s first year…

—Part 1 of this two-part series, published in the September issue of OR Manager, discussed staff engagement and how to hire engaged staff. Once staff are hired, it’s important to keep them engaged and measure the level of engagement. This article describes how to do that.   How do you…

They are so attractive, those surgeons with rakish beards, those nurses with sparkling manicures, those surgical technologists with dangling earrings. Unfortunately, what is acceptable in many other workplaces is an invitation to infection in the surgical arena (and other healthcare settings as well). Jean Day, BSN, CNOR, director of education…

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) that have yet to register and report compliance with quality measures can expect a decrease of 0.9% in 2016 from this year’s Medicare reimbursement rates. Those in compliance, however, may see an increase of approximately 1.1%, depending on specialties. As in the past, the Centers for…

Although ambulatory surgery center (ASC) staff show a slightly greater inclination to change jobs than they did in 2014, staffing remains relatively stable in a market with continued recruitment challenges and slower volume increases, according to the 25th annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Nearly one-fourth (24%) of respondents reported an…