You've no doubt worked hard on turnover time and on-time starts to improve your OR's performance. But there's a factor you may be overlooking—the accuracy of your case-duration estimates. These estimates have a big impact. Underestimate case times, and cases run over. Then subsequent cases either start late, or you…

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OR Manager asked a leading researcher and expert on latex allergy, Kevin J. Kelly, MD, to comment on the following question: Q Is it necessary to convert entirely to synthetic surgical gloves in the OR to create a "latex-safe" environment for patients and health care workers? A Recently, 2 major…

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Boulder Community Foothills Hospital, Boulder, Colorado, emphasizes sustainability. The hospital is flooded with natural light, which saves on utilities and provides respite for patients and staff. OR managers who participate in the design of new or renovated OR suites have an opportunity to promote a healthy environment. But can hospitals…

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Congress has turned a spotlight on consulting relationships between surgeons and medical device companies. At a hearing Feb 27, the Senate Special Committee on Aging probed what the chairman, Senator Herb Kohl, called the "tangled, murky, and sometimes conflicting financial relationships" between industry and physicians. Sen Kohl, a Wisconsin Democrat,…

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A variety of shifts, flexible benefits, ergonomic aid, and building bridges between generations are strategies ORs are using to retain senior staff in hospitals recognized by AARP as the Best Employers for Workers Over 50. Hospitals made up more than half of the top 15 employers on AARP's 2007 list.…

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The prospect of a surgical glove conversion is enough to make many OR directors think about retirement. Latex gloves, with their comfort, fit, and flexibility, have been the mainstay in ORs for generations. Now some major hospitals, including Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore—whose first chief of surgery, William Halsted, is…

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The forces reshaping health care are formidable, from aging and growing diversity to an almost total failure of public policy, to the constant and ever-more-intense impact of technology, says Emily Friedman, noted health policy and ethics analyst. "But that hardly means that the individual health care professional—the OR manager in…

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It takes a village to retain a staff. That's true for staff of any age—those over 50 as well as Generation X and Y. If you look at the list of 2007 AARP Best Employers for Workers over 50, one of the themes is collegiality—the idea that we're in this…

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The possibility of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is one of the things patients dread most about surgery. Fortunately, there are evidence-based steps your ambulatory surgery center (ASC) can take to prevent this distressing complication. Without treatment, some 20% to 30% of patients will have nausea and vomiting—rising to 70%…

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Part two of two articles. Last month, we analyzed how the new Medicare payment system for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and the expanded list of Medicare-approved procedures affect orthopedics, podiatry, general surgery, and gastroenterology. The new payment system took effect Jan 1, and more than 800 procedures were added to…

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