Remote video auditing: A path to compliance and safety
Perioperative services leaders seeking to improve safety and efficiency without sacrificing quality may want to turn to remote video auditing (RVA), which is being successfully used in hospital ORs and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). โWeโve seen improved patient safety, efficiency, and cleaning processes,โ says Sheldon Newman, MD, executive vice chairman…
Editorial
Session evaluations from the 2017 OR Manager Conference attendees gave uniformly high marks to the keynote speakers. A common theme in many of their presentations was workplace attitudes. They discussed challenges such as converting the disengaged to the highly engaged employee, and fostering a sense of ownership. A workshop on…
San Antonio to host 2018 OR Business Management Conference
With each passing year, the business of healthcare delivery grows more complexโnever more so than in 2017, when a new administration began to grapple with a major overhaul of the Affordable Care Act and changes to provider payment models. Thanks to an unprecedented number of proposals submitted for the 2018…
Just culture creates a safe, positive environment
Just culture has become a bit of a buzzword, so itโs worth revisiting what the term truly means and how it can be implemented and sustained. Although itโs a powerful tool for improving patient safety, just culture is effective only when leaders set expectations for processes and behavior, and address…
Latest steam sterilization standard available from AAMI
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) in September released the newest version of the ANSI/AAMI ST 79 Comprehensive Guide to Steam Sterilization and Sterility Assurance in Healthcare Facilities. This document, last updated in 2013, has been under a major review for changes in the format presentation and…
Violence in healthcare facilities--Know your risks
Violence is much more common in healthcare than in other industries, and although many violent events in healthcare are perpetrated by patients, a notable percentage are not. Individuals other than patients who may cause violence in healthcare settings include family members of patients and other visitors, employees, and criminals. Many…
Peer review inspires high performance from providers
Peer review is a hot topic in the quality arena as many ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) strive to create meaningful and sustainable evaluation of their providers. โAs a surveyor, I can tell you peer review trips everybody up,โ says Ann Geier, MS, RN, CNOR, CASC, chief nursing officer of Surgical…
Landmark study may affect stroke treatment guidelines
Editor's Note Guidelines for stroke treatment currently recommend clot removal within 6 hours of onset. However, a new study led by researchers from Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, finds that clot removal up to 24 hours leads to significantly reduced disability. This international multi-center study randomly assigned 206 stroke…
Joint Commission: More accredited hospitals submitting eCQM data
Editor's Note Despite the expansion of requirements for electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) reporting to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an increased number of Joint Commission accredited hospitals are adopting and reporting eCQMs to drive quality improvement, the Joint Commission reports.ย In 2016, 470 accredited hospitals submitted eCQM…
Perioperative Nurse Week is November 12 to 18
Editor's Note Every year, Perioperative Nurse Week focuses attention on the work of more than 160,000 nurses who advocate for surgical patients. During the week, perioperative nurses are honored by colleagues and communities to highlight the ways in which nurses are working to improve patient safetyโbefore, during, and after…