OR Business
Survey finds surgeons largely unaware of orthopedic device costs
More than $150 billion is spent annually on medical devices in the United States, with orthopedic and cardiac procedures accounting for almost all of Medicare’s device-related expenditures. Most of the recent increases in such expenditures have been related to the wider use of orthopedic devices, which is expected to grow…
Anesthesiology: An important ally in building better surgical services
Among the challenges facing OR leaders everywhere are declining payment in tandem with rising costs, increased quality and patient satisfaction requirements, and the ongoing struggle to manage relations with surgeons. When it comes to tackling these issues, many OR directors do not realize they have a powerful natural ally—the anesthesiology…
Partnering with your CEO will put you on the path to success
Maintaining a strong relationship with the hospital CEO has always been important for an OR leader. In the coming year, good relations with the executive suite will be critical. Hospital executives are under greater pressure now than at any time in the last 30 years. Changes in the healthcare market…
Best practices and new technology on tap at 2014 OR Business Management Conference
The upcoming OR Business Management Conference provides a timely opportunity for OR business managers and surgical services directors to learn what they can do to optimize their hospitals’ resources—especially in the current climate of ever-tighter budgets and reimbursement concerns. The conference, which will be held February 11-13, 2014, at the…
Simple but thoughtful process changes can improve patient satisfaction
OR Business Performance is a series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business. Better-performing surgery departments have always paid careful attention to the patient experience. Today, payment reform and market evolution are making patient satisfaction in an OR more important than ever. Patient…
ASC industry no longer the stepchild of group purchasing organizations
Group purchasing has long been a tradition for hospitals. Now ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are beginning to adopt the practice, and the reason is simple: Group purchasing organizations (GPOs) are noticing their needs and recruiting them as members. “We are evolving services,” explains Randy Piper, vice president of nonacute contracting…
Best practices lead to greater consistency in vendor credentialing
When OR Manager examined vendor credentialing in 2009, hospitals had a hodgepodge of requirements. OR managers and purchasing departments were making their first forays into third-party software for managing credentialing, and there was a crying need for standardization. Four years later, progress has been made in developing credentialing standards, and…
Successful vendor/OR partnership yields more than $1 million in savings
An innovative program at The University of Kansas Hospital (TUKH), Kansas City, for managing vendor partnerships has saved the hospital $1.9 million in just 8 months of operation. “We’ve found that pricing and inventory management requires key partnerships with suppliers,” says Brian Dolan, MHSA, CMRP, RHIA, CHDA, SSGB, director of…
OR business managers steadily gaining clout, financial rewards
Business managers have seen a rise in salaries and number of direct reports over the past 5 years, but their overall role remains consistent, according to the 23rd annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than a third (34%) of respondents have a business manager on their team. The average annual…
Business managers' skill sets strengthen return on investment
OR Business Performance is a series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business. Hospitals depend on surgical services to generate more than half their revenue and profit. Yet according to the latest OR Manager Salary/Career Survey, only one-third of hospitals employ an OR business…
Free Daily News
- Study: ERAS protocol reduces opioid use after cardiac surgery
- Study: Prehabilitation reduces surgical complications, speeds recovery
- Commentary: Studies show how surgeon decisions follow the money
- Proposed HIPAA updates would improve cybersecurity, increase costs for healthcare providers
- Study: EMR data can enhance hand hygiene compliance, infection prevention
- Study: Machine learning model improves perioperative pain assessment
- Call for improved suicide risk screening in ASCs aims to strengthen safety protocols
- Study: Perioperative pregabalin reduces risk of kidney decline compared to gabapentin
- Medical school diversity declines after Supreme Court ruling
- Surgeons risk losing ground as transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions rise