Creating a powerful partnership between the OR and the SPD
Perhaps no other departments in a hospital work as closely together as the OR and the sterile processing department, yet friction isn’t uncommon as both areas strive to meet service demands. Although the relationship between the two is unlikely to ever be free of tension, leaders of both departments increasingly…
Take time to make time: Involve your team in closing schedule gaps
Turnover time and first case on-time starts are a common problem in most ORs, so leaders are always seeking ideas for improvement. OR Manager recently spoke with two leaders who have had remarkable success in each of these areas. The Dartmouth-Hitchcock experience When the average turnover time (TOT) at…
Five-step process provides framework for managing supplies
Problems such as frequently running out of critical items, expired inventory, and secret stockpiling in the OR have become increasingly burdensome for surgeons, nursing staff, and hospital administration across the country. Wasteful supply chain spending marginalizes patient care and drives OR expenses out of control. “When the facility’s difficulties in…
Potholes, speed bumps on road to quality reporting
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are moving forward with quality reporting, adding a series of new measures this year while continuing to build a national database of performance levels on earlier measures. Now that they have experience with reporting safe surgery checklist use (ASC 6) and volume of selected procedures (ASC…
Cost data comparisons help sway surgeons to standardize supplies
As payment models move from fee-for-service to value-based care, hospitals and healthcare systems are trying to reduce spending by 20% to 30% to maintain their budgets. Supply costs are usually the second largest expense after labor, and industry analysts predict they will take the top slot by 2020. In 2013,…
Hospital accreditation options expand beyond Joint Commission
In the past, most hospitals automatically sought accreditation from the Joint Commission, but recent years have brought new players to the field, prompting hospital administrators to rethink that strategy. One relatively new player is DNV GL-Healthcare (DNV GL). Since achieving deeming authority from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services…
Editorial
Five years have passed since the Institute of Medicine recommended changes in nursing education and practice. Soon after the IOM issued its report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) partnered with AARP to launch the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action to…
Using more robust data leads to better outcomes
Many perioperative services leaders still struggle to get meaningful data on what influences the success or failure of a surgical patient. One resource that’s readily available and has a proven track record is the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). “NSQIP has shown that the…
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Career Center
- Director of Nursing, Behavioral Health - Signet Health Corporation - Coos Bay, OR
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