Easing the pain of electronic health records: Part 1
Electronic health records (EHRs) have been decried as a drag on an organizationโs efficiency and a source of frustration for clinicians and managers. Complaints related to documentation time, compatibility with other systems, and report generation are common. These shortcomings were reflected in the 2022 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than…
Survey: ASC leaders see staffing challenges with rising volume
As organizations adapt to COVID-19 and the number of severe cases eases in many areas of the country, leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are seeing a significant uptick in volume of surgical procedures, according to the 2022 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than half (56%) reported increased volume in…
Bundled payments: A win-win-win approach for ASCs
Healthcare costs in the US have increased exponentially in recent years. Surgical procedures are especially costly. Cost control without sacrificing high quality care is the ultimate goal for many surgical practices and payers. Alternative practices and payment models have been explored to meet this goal. Episode-based payments, more commonly known…
CDC plans to overhaul structure, recover reputation
Editor's Note On Wednesday, August 18, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky shared planned changes with CDC leadership and staff to โtransformโ the agency and itsย culture, with the goal of "improving how the agency shares information, develops public health guidance, and communicates with the American…
AHA releases statement outlining symptoms of heart disease
Editor's Note The American Heart Association (AHA) released a statement outlining symptoms of common cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, valvular disorders, stroke, rhythm disorders, andย peripheral vascular disease, Medscape August 18 reports. Symptoms often overlap and may vary over time and by sex. Corrine Y. Jurgens, PhD,…
Surgical volume changes during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds a severe decline in surgical procedure volumes across specialties during the peak of COVID-19, and after the peak and vaccine release periods, the overall volume did not fully recover. Of 129,956 surgical procedures analyzed during four…
ISMP publishes new perioperative medication safety guidelines
Editor's Note The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) on August 11 announced the publication of its first set of safe practice guidelines to support perioperative medication safety in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and other procedural locations. The new guidelines: Address best practices related to labeling and storage of perioperative…
Study: More than half unaware of Omicron infection status
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, finds that more than half of adults with recent Omicron infection analyzed were unaware of their infectious status. Of 210 adult employees or patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with serological evidence of recent Omicron variant infection: 92…
The Joint Commission: New Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports available
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on August 17 announced that refreshed Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports are now available for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF), inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPF), and long-term acute care hospitals (LTCH) to provide data on a select subset of quality measures. The IPF reports contain data through the…
OR Manager Award nominations accepted through August 26
Throughout the past year, you have likely drawn inspiration from someone on your team or an industry colleague. This person is always ready to help, makes your facility a better work environment, or goes the extra mile to ensure quality outcomes even when not asked to assist. Now is the…