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.…

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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…

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Intriguing new research cites medical errors as the third leading cause of death in the US, behind heart disease and cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013 said the top three causes of death were heart disease (611,105 deaths), cancer (584,881), and chronic respiratory disease (149,205).…

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Best-selling author and professor Elizabeth M. Norman, PhD, RN, will give the keynote address on Thursday, September 22, during the annual OR Manager Conference in Las Vegas. Norman, who spoke at the conference in 2000, has interviewed numerous nurses working in war zones. Drawing on her many years of experience,…

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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…

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Some complex medical devices cannot withstand high-temperature sterilization. An alternative is low-temperature sterilization, which works for heat- and moisture-sensitive devices. There are different types of low-temperature sterilizers, and this article will review them.   Spaulding classification A deciding factor in whether an instrument can undergo high-level disinfection is the Spaulding…

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OR Manager occasionally receives contributed articles about process improvements, cost savings, or technological innovations that have benefited a particular facility. Often times, process improvements are made by conducting Lean-based exercises, and money is saved by switching to a different product or standardizing supplies. The most important players in implementing any…

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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…

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Many OR leaders have taken on process improvement projects in an effort to save time and money, and some are more successful than others. For some facilities, partnerships with industry experts can enhance the likelihood of achieving and sustaining goals. Such was the case for Beloit Memorial Hospital, which teamed…

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