Studies have estimated the incidence of retained surgical items (RSIs) as one in 5,500 to one in 6,975 cases. In October 2013, The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert on RSIs, and periodic reports in the media have raised the public’s awareness of this persistent problem. Effective policies, reliable…
As the anesthesiologist places the mask on the little girl’s face, the circulating nurse snaps a photograph and sends it to her parents’ cell phone with a caption saying, “she is safely off to sleep.” The nurse continues to send photographs and videos of the girl’s heart procedure along with…
Reports that emerged in late 2014 reflect both progress and problems in healthcare delivery. And while regulatory and financial hurdles continue to loom large in 2015, some of these obstacles are being cleared. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality cited an impressive 1.3 million decline in the number of…
New research shows that even a modest 10% reduction in the proportion of emergency surgical procedures for three common conditions could save nearly $1 billion over 10 years. The study also showed significantly lower rates of mortality and better outcomes among patients who had these procedures on an elective basis.…
When it comes to patient safety in the OR, the risk of fire or other damage caused by surgical instruments is an area that deserves greater attention. Professional medical societies concerned about such risks have developed a multidisciplinary curriculum that addresses appropriate and safe use of energy devices in surgery…
Privacy violations, work distractions, wasting time—with all these risks, who needs social media? You do. Social media is key for OR leaders to successfully manage their professional lives. Savvy leaders accept that social media is a two-sided coin. “The reality is that every post, Tweet, and text is filled with…
Over the past decade, the number of quality measurement programs has grown exponentially as hospitals respond to public and government demands for greater accountability and improved patient care. During this time, quality programs have been focused largely on how to do quality, how to measure it, how to improve it,…
A high-performing anesthesiology group is critical to the success of a hospital OR. Most OR leaders, however, do not know how to work effectively with anesthesia providers to define high performance and establish performance metrics. Traditionally, anesthesia group contracts have not included detailed service standards. Language about anesthesia coverage is…
Delivering quality healthcare doesn’t end when a patient leaves the postanesthesia care unit. It continues until the final installment of the bill is paid. It continues even when the payment is overdue, missing, or refused. To stay in business, an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) must collect the fees it has…