Sterilization packaging is considered a medical device and thus it must undergo validation testing before being used in healthcare facilities. To ensure proper packaging that will maintain the integrity of sterilization, consult the packaging manufacturers’ instructions for use (IFU) and follow the sterilization standards and guidelines from the Association for…

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With several months of experience using an updated version of the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) diagnosis coding system, most US healthcare providers, including ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), are finding their worst fears have yet to materialize.   ‘Lights would go out’ Although Medicare has not yet released data, insurance…

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Preparation for a visit from the Joint Commission or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is key to a positive survey outcome. “There is nothing mysterious about Joint Commission or CMS compliance,” says John Rosing, MHA, FACHE, vice president and principal, Patton Healthcare Consulting, Naperville, Illinois. Ensuring compliance involves…

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How can OR managers better prepare staff to handle crisis situations? How can they encourage teamwork? Increasingly, OR leaders are turning to simulation to answer those questions.   OR leaders who think they can’t afford a high-fidelity manikin (one that talks and exhibits physiologic changes) and state-of-the-art simulation lab might…

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Change is uppermost in people’s minds as a new year begins, so the time seems right to anticipate changes we’ll see in healthcare in 2016. To imagine some of what the future holds, consider two recent changes in how providers are being reimbursed: ICD-10, the vastly expanded DRG codes that…

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Many patients may be able to safely shower 48 hours after surgery without increasing their risk of surgical site complications, and showering may increase patients’ satisfaction and lower the cost of wound care, a new study finds. Showering after surgery is a controversial issue. Traditionally, postoperative wounds are cleaned with…

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Emergencies such as the one described above don’t happen frequently in the OR, but it is important to prepare for them, and simulation has emerged as an ideal educational tool. This scenario took place in a simulation lab, not a real OR, so the danger to the “patient” (manikin) consisted…

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Part 1 of this two-part series, published in the January issue of OR Manager, discussed the concepts of professional peer review (PPR). In this article, experts from University Medical Center (UMC) in Lubbock, Texas, and Boston Medical Center share strategies for implementing the process.   Staff involvement Once staff understand…

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