Is your value analysis process as strong as it could be? Value analysis is a key link in building a supply chain strong enough to stand up to today's cost management challenges. Check your process against these success factors, outlined by Thomas Skorup, MBA, FACHE, vice president of the Applied…

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Which is more expensive—a robotic handle or a shunt valve? How much does hemostatic matrix cost? Thanks to an innovative game modeled after "The Price is Right," staff at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNM), Albuquerque, know the answers: The shunt valve is more expensive than the robotic handle…

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Profile of the typical OR nurse leader The typical leader of a hospital OR in the OR Manager Salary/Career Survey: earns an average salary of $127,000 for an administrative director, $104,000 for a director, and $89,000 for a nurse manager received a raise of 3.5% holds the title of director…

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Robotic surgery has become part of the OR landscape, partly driven by marketing, as competing hospitals purchase robots and advertise them to consumers eager for the latest technology. "It's definitely a consumer-driven health care offering," says Lynda Petty, RN, director of perioperative education, policy, and process improvement at The Ohio…

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Attendees at the 2010 OR Business Management Conference in San Francisco May 12 to 14 got a snapshot of challenges facing ORs, ranging from the OR of the future to the effects of new health care law. Networking supplemented the presentations and gave attendees the opportunity to exchange ideas and…

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How to charge for OR supplies is a frequent question OR business managers ask. In this column, Keith Siddel, MBA, an expert on health care business operations, responds to questions about supply packs and billing for endovascular procedures. The questions were posed by members of OR Manager's OR Business Management…

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Postoperative mortality rates were twice as high (1.4% vs 0.73%) for patients having hip and knee replacements in hospitals that were the least specialized in orthopedic surgery compared to those that were the most specialized in a study published in the British Medical Journal. Patients at the most specialized hospitals…

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Purchasing managers are used to walking a tightrope between tough bargaining with suppliers and respect for the product preferences of physicians. Eventually, purchasing professionals, as well as physicians, realize these goals need not be inconsistent. The best value often is in the best product. At many ambulatory surgery centers (ASC),…

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Pilot survey: ASC infection control lapses Infection control category Facilities with lapses* Examples of lapses Hand hygiene, use of gloves 12/62 (19%) 4 facilities had providers who failed to perform hand hygiene after contact with blood, body fluids, or nonintact skin. Injection and medication safety 19/67 (28%) 18 facilities used…

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The tough economy has meant leaner budgets and fewer OR staff vacancies to fill. But OR leaders know they still face staffing challenges in the years ahead. Eventually, nurses who have been asking for more hours will start to retire. ORs need to keep the pipeline open for new candidates,…

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