Joint Commission survey standards tighten for 2017
Beginning January 1, 2017, the Joint Commission is โmaking significant changes in its survey methods and its standards manual,โ says John R. Rosing, MHA, FACHE, executive vice president and principal, Patton Healthcare Consulting, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and OR managers need to be prepared for them. The reason, he says, is that…
Survey: OR staff low in volume, experience, engagement--Part 3
High staff engagement contributes to the success of an organization, but OR managers are finding it tough to engage their staffs, given the multitude of changes in healthcare and stressors in the OR. In the final article of this three-part series, OR Manager examines the challenge of staff engagement, along…
Editorial
This issue of OR Manager will be published around Thanksgiving, and we hope it wonโt be overlooked in the wake of holiday preparations. Important information such as the upcoming Joint Commission survey changes, for example, should not be missed (cover story). Surveys were discussed during the 2016 OR Manager Conference.…
New data show enhanced surgical patient care lessens pain, length of stay
Comprehensive surgical patient care models are associated with better outcomes, according to studies presented at Anesthesiology 2016 in October. In a study of 1,356 patients undergoing total knee, hip, or shoulder joint replacement surgery, pain management and communication between patients and physicians improved when care was based on the perioperative…
Cleaning verification tests boost confidence in instrument decontamination
Even when recommended cleaning and disinfection protocols are followed, residual contamination of instruments is possible, researchers have found (OR Manager, November 2016, 1, 10-11). Visual inspection can catch some signs of contamination, but it wonโt reveal problems within channels and other areas of complex medical devices. Thatโs why itโs important…
ASC quality scores added to Hospital Compare
Ambulatory surgery center (ASC) quality scores became public for the first time in 2016. ASCs and regulators including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) say they are pleased to have documentation of their track records. But what do the scores really mean, and how useful, exactly, are they…
Smart marketing helps ASCs attract patients and surgeons--Part 2
Standing out from the competition in any industry requires the use of effective marketing tactics. In the case of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), these tactics can be divided into physician referral, recruitment, and retention; online; and internal and external marketing. Here is a closer look at each of these. (For…
Study links antibiotic resistance to chlorhexidine
Editor's Note This study from the UK is the first to link antibiotic resistance with exposure to the disinfectant chlorhexidine. In five of six strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae exposed to chlorhexidine-containing disinfectants in the laboratory, adaptation to chlorhexidine led to resistance to the last resort antibiotic colistin. The risk of…
Joint Commission report shows improvement in patient safety, quality
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 7 released its 2016 Annual Report: โAmericaโs Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety.โ The report, which includes information on how more than 3,300 accredited hospitals performed on measures of patient care in 2015, showed that hospital performance continued to improve, greatly enhancing quality of…
ECRI Institute white paper on staffing and scheduling
Editor's Note The ECRI Institute has issued a white paper titled, โResponsive staffing and scheduling in aging services: A systems rethinking approach.โ Problems in staffing and scheduling can lead to potentially dangerous conditions, which can cause performance gaps in delivery of care and services. To better address these problems, providers…