OR Business
Orthopedic hospital uses 'price point' strategy to lower implant costs
Total joint arthroplasty volumes have ballooned in the last two decades, and reimbursement has not kept pace with costs. Rising implant prices are a major driver of hospital spending on these procedures. As the aging US population creates growing demand for joint replacement, controlling implant costs is becoming a top…
Having more reliable performance data will boost your credibility
Most OR leaders use performance reports to inform and guide critical decisions. The problem is that in most hospitals, the data used to create these reports are not reliable. Why? Even the smallest surgery department is too complex for the most sophisticated OR data solution. To yield reliable reports, information…
Aligning staff with business goals builds a stronger surgery department
Aligning employees with organizational goals is a challenge in any industry. In a hospital OR, staff alignment is important because it can affect everything from efficiency and costs to clinical quality and patient outcomes. Directors face many common obstacles to focusing staff on OR business goals. In some hospitals, differences…
Systematic approach to scheduling smoothes out the daily wrinkles
In many surgery departments, schedule management is a daily struggle. Staff work hard to manage case requests, juggle resources, and respond to changes, but errors, inefficiencies, and general frustration persist. The results are frequent case delays and cancellations, low utilization, high costs, low staff morale, and poor surgeon satisfaction. The…
Contract management is a challenging but critical component of cost control
Loopholes in supply contracts can wreak havoc with a supply budget, but attention to detail and proper terminology can help OR managers take charge instead of being charged unnecessary fees. “Not managing your agreement will cost you 12% to 25% of the spend or 100% of any savings achieved,” Girard…
Anticipate & educate to navigate murky healthcare reform waters
Anxiety over changes in healthcare delivery and payment systems has permeated hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Administrators are concerned about how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other initiatives will hit the organization’s bottom line. Increasingly, perioperative services leaders are being drawn into discussions in these areas. “The OR…
Editorial
Until I heard Keith Siddel, PhDc, JD, MBA, CHC, speak at our OR Business Management Conference in February, I didn’t fully realize how much ICD-10 coding could disrupt billing and payment for services. Siddel, an attorney and healthcare finance expert based in Creede, Colorado, explained why providers should have been…
Smart and simple process changes help cut case times and costs
Most perioperative leaders are concerned about turnover time. And rightly so—lengthy turnovers squander expensive OR minutes. The typical surgery department, however, gives less attention to case time. Many OR directors view case time as a lower priority that is largely out of their control. This is a mistake. Prolonged case…
Conference takes OR leaders and business managers to the next level
High-quality presentations, a high level of enthusiasm, and the highest-ever attendance were the hallmarks of the OR Business Management Conference that took place February 11-13 in New Orleans. Nearly 300 attendees—more than triple the number who attended the workshop in 2013—gathered to learn from experts in the healthcare industry. Tips…
Formula for successful cost control includes hard data plus surgeon champion
With decreasing Medicare reimbursements and increasing pressure to reduce costs, OR leaders everywhere are looking for creative solutions to balance their budgets. At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH) in Philadelphia, standardizing surgical mesh looked like a way to save a bundle, and indeed a $1.5 million savings over a 3-year…
Free Daily News
- Borescope inspections reveal widespread contamination in lumened surgical instruments
- Nursing workforce faces high turnover despite signs of recovery
- FDA issues early alerts for intravascular catheters
- Market volatility threatens hospitals’ liquidity as tariff-driven costs rise
- Study: CT scan radiation could drive 5% of future cancer cases
- New studies, surgical feats advance organ transplant medicine
- Commentary: Cyberattacks threaten financial survival of surgical practices
- Tariffs strain supply chains, split medical manufacturing community
- Study: Systemic gender bias embedded in surgical practice
- Literature review: Endoscope disinfection failures highlight need for stronger sterilization practices