Hospitals share data to prevent colorectal SSIs
Why does our hospital have a higher rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) than others in our state? How are others preventing surgical site infections (SSIs) after colorectal surgery? What’s behind our urinary tract infection (UTI) rate? Hospitals in Tennessee are openly discussing issues like these through the Tennessee Surgical Quality…
Standardizing to control costs of spinal implants
When Kimberley Murray, MS, RN, CNOR, administrator for the orthopedic and spine service line at St Joseph’s Hospital (SJH) in Syracuse, New York, set up a successful system for negotiating with orthopedic vendors on total hip and knee replacement surgery, she knew that spine implants would be the next mountain…
Succession: Identifying and mentoring OR leaders Second article in a 2-part series. The first article appeared in the December OR Manager.
Not all staff nurses can or want to be managers,” says Judith Mercado, RN, CNOR, nursing service director for perioperative and maternal child health services for Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. “Informal leaders stand out; they are the superstars of the group.” Identifying those leaders and mentoring them into…
Scope storage: Don't get hung up on a number
How long can a flexible endoscope be stored before it needs to be reprocessed for use in a patient? Guidelines differ, raising questions about the appropriate storage or “hang time.” Evidence is limited. What’s the best course? How do accreditation surveyors assess this? Though infections from GI endoscopes are rare,…
A checkup for your OR's value analysis process
How healthy is your value analysis process? A strong program for evaluating products and new technology is essential to the cost-effective management of resources. Characteristics of a good value analysis program are offered by Barbara Strain, MA, past president of the Association of Healthcare Value Analysis Professionals. She is director…
Quality reporting for ASCs is off to a good start
Starting October 1, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began requiring quality reports on Medicare claim forms from ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). From all indications, complications were few, and ASCs already are using the new statistics to gain insight into operational trends. Ultimately, the self-reports of patient…
Helping to avoid postdischarge nausea and vomiting
Nausea or vomiting after surgery can cause more distress than the pain, and even with modern anesthetics, it is not as rare as once thought. If the procedure is outpatient, symptoms may arise after the patient is at home, away from medical intervention. Thus, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) need to…
Survey: An OR leadership crisis is looming, but is C-suite listening?
Perioperative nursing is facing a leadership crisis. Though 9 in 10 perioperative nurse leaders think a smooth succession is critical when they retire, they worry about who will take these positions. Most think the scope of their roles needs to be re-evaluated to attract younger RNs, a new OR Manager…
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Career Center
- Director of Nursing, Behavioral Health - Signet Health Corporation - Coos Bay, OR
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