Managing patients’ pain is no longer just a clinical goal—it’s a business necessity. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has started incorporating value-based purchasing (VBP) scores, which include customer satisfaction, into hospital reimbursement payments. Of the total VBP score, 30% comes from results from the Hospital Consumer Assessment…

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Last month we shared a positive view of the impact of health care reform on nursing. Kathleen Sanford, DBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, who will speak at the OR Manager Conference in September, said more emphasis on keeping people well will offer “an opportunity for clinical staff to make a difference”…

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Managing today’s multigenerational perioperative workforce can seem daunting, but understanding the strengths of each group and knowing how best to communicate with them can turn challenges into opportunities. The first step toward promoting generational interrelationships—and to better manage perioperative services for the future—is to “create a generational profile of your…

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Sixth in a series on ten elements of safer surgery.   Could you and your team find 30 minutes a day to prepare for the next day’s surgical schedule? The effort can be worthwhile. A Chicago-area hospital has found that a half-hour daily huddle not only heads off delays and…

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Because people are living and working longer, 4 generations of employees are now toiling side by side—and not always in harmony. Creating a workplace where all generations can thrive is both challenging and crucial to a manager’s success. “The biggest challenge and opportunity for growth is to recognize that you…

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Changes in staff responsibilities and greater collaboration have contributed to dramatically improved first-case on-time starts at the University of Louisville Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky—from about 35% to 86% in a little over a year. Turnover time has been reduced, too, with slow but steady progress suggesting that revamping existing structures can…

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AORN leaders’ efforts over the past few years have led to evidence-rated recommendations for some of the 2013 Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices (RPs), representing “landmark progress in the evolution of recommended practices,” according to Ramona Conner, MSN, RN, CNOR, manager of the standards and recommended practices. Conner introduced speakers…

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OR Business Performance is a series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business.   Does your hospital’s CEO expect you to grow surgical volume in the upcoming fiscal year? Hospitals have always depended on surgical services to drive revenue and profit. Today, in the…

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