Dr Gawande stepping down as Haven CEO
Editor's Note The May 8 Wall Street Journal reports that Atul Gawande, MD, is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of ย Havenโthe Amazon, JPMorgan, Berkshire Hathaway healthcare venture. Instead Dr Gawande will be chairman of the joint venture so he can focus more on policy and advocacy work, particularly related…
OR leaders chart new territory for resuming elective surgery
Elective surgical procedures that were temporarily suspended in mid-March are now on the tableโor soon will beโat some US facilities. The ban, announced on March 18 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), was enacted to free up resources for facilities overwhelmed by surges of COVID-19 patients. On…
Children's hospital revises patient care criteria for COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on all aspects of healthcare delivery worldwide. For childrenโs hospitals, the crisis has created unique challenges in ensuring patient and provider safety as well as helping to contain the spread of COVID-19 through their communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control…
Editorial
Coronavirus cases in the US topped 1 million in late April. Although total numbers of cases and deaths change daily and vary greatly among urban vs rural regions of the country, itโs safe to say we havenโt yet seen the last of the surges. Despite ongoing shortages of personal protective…
Pandemic has altered perceptions of healthcare industry
Although COVID-19 cases are still emerging in many parts of the country, some businesses have reopened and some elective procedures are once again being performed. Many events that did not take place in the spring will be held in the fall, including the annual OR Manager Conference, September 30 to…
ASCs following new rules for safety during pandemic
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic that led the United States to declare a national emergency and implement a ban on all elective diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, as well as elective surgery in inpatient and outpatient settings. On March 19, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) released guidance…
Cost savings achieved through sharing equipment
Itโs been said we live in a sharing economy: We share our homes through companies like Airbnb, and we share our cars through companies like Uber and Lyft. So itโs not surprising that organizations are now sharing equipment, including OR equipment, with positive results. For example, Kaiser Permanente Southern California…
Hospital-wide ERAS adoption hinges on leadership support
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is arguably the greatest advancement in surgery in the last 20 years. But even healthcare leaders who support the use of ERAS to achieve better outcomes can find it daunting to implement the protocols throughout their hospital systems. Standardizing practices across areas that have historically…
Device safety depends on routine cleaning, maintenance
Routine cleaning and maintenance of the equipment used to process medical devices is important to prevent contamination of medical devices. This article will discuss the required cleaning and maintenance in a sterile processing department (SPD) as well as the guidelines and regulations that inform these practices. Environmental issues Recommendations…
ASCs advised to embrace EHRs sooner rather than later
Federal regulators have yet to mandate electronic health record (EHR) adoption at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Many facilities remain content to use paper systems. However, one expert advocates preparing now for what may come in the future. Electronic documentation systems can help ASCs better achieve their clinical, financial, operational, and…