Purchasing managers are used to walking a tightrope between tough bargaining with suppliers and respect for the product preferences of physicians. Eventually, purchasing professionals, as well as physicians, realize these goals need not be inconsistent. The best value often is in the best product. At many ambulatory surgery centers (ASC),…

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Pilot survey: ASC infection control lapses Infection control category Facilities with lapses* Examples of lapses Hand hygiene, use of gloves 12/62 (19%) 4 facilities had providers who failed to perform hand hygiene after contact with blood, body fluids, or nonintact skin. Injection and medication safety 19/67 (28%) 18 facilities used…

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Postoperative mortality rates were twice as high (1.4% vs 0.73%) for patients having hip and knee replacements in hospitals that were the least specialized in orthopedic surgery compared to those that were the most specialized in a study published in the British Medical Journal. Patients at the most specialized hospitals…

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Two common hospital-acquired conditions, sepsis and pneumonia, killed 48,000 patients and cost $8.1 billion in 2006 alone, according to a large national study. In a separate analysis of outcomes associated with surgery, the researchers found that nearly 20% of patients who developed sepsis after surgery died as a result. Patients…

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The Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States has introduced a new training kit to help OR staff better prepare for MH emergencies. The kit includes a 22-minute video of a mock drill and cards that detail how to prepare for a drill and specific responsibilities of participants. The kit…

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A government advisory panel has recommendeda0.6% inflation update for Medicare payments to ambulatory surgery centers for 2011. The recommendation came from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Though MedPAC does not have an official role in setting the inflation update, its recommendations are influential with Congress and the Centers for…

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Pilot survey: ASC infection control lapses Infection control category Facilities with lapses* Examples of lapses Hand hygiene, use of gloves 12/62 (19%) 4 facilities had providers who failed to perform hand hygiene after contact with blood, body fluids, or nonintact skin. Injection and medication safety 19/67 (28%) 18 facilities used…

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Purchasing managers are used to walking a tightrope between tough bargaining with suppliers and respect for the product preferences of physicians. Eventually, purchasing professionals, as well as physicians, realize these goals need not be inconsistent. The best value often is in the best product. At many ambulatory surgery centers (ASC),…

Read More