The postanesthesia care unit (PACU) is no longer used just to recover patients after surgery. Multiple departments use it for various procedures, from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to regional blocks, as well as to ease emergency department (ED) overcrowding. This makes it difficult to manage bed availability, OR scheduling, and patient…
Most OR leaders believe the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist can help prevent surgical errors and complications. But although many hospitals have formally adopted the WHO checklist, fewer ORs use it consistently. At Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, a nonprofit teaching facility south of Boston, we addressed this issue…
Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia, South Carolina, has had an annual average 3% growth in surgical volume since 2011 and is planning to add six ORs over the next 3 years. That’s a good position to be in. However, the ability of the organization to support continued surgical growth…
Total joint procedures are gradually moving to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) as technology, medical expertise, and cost pressures combine to make the ASC an increasingly attractive alternative to an acute care hospital. The key to success for these and other complex procedures, experts say, is a combination of careful planning,…
More than 400 surgical services directors, business managers, and thought leaders gathered in New Orleans in early February for the 2017 OR Business Management Conference. They came to explore new technology, learn from experts in the field, and network with their peers. They left with a wealth of ideas on…
If you told OR leaders they could onboard a nurse without previous surgical experience in just 12 weeks, most would scoff, “Impossible!” But at Sutter Health University, the impossible has become not only possible, but highly successful, thanks to an innovative program created by Renee Dodge, MSN, RN, RNFA, CNOR,…
Even before Trump took office, Congress was planning to prepare ACA repeal legislation by January 27. It looked as though action could be swift once key members of the new administration took office. However, The Washington Post’s report of a January 26 meeting of Republican lawmakers indicated they were far…
What makes an OR subject to an immediate jeopardy finding from a Medicare inspection? Immediate jeopardy is cited when a provider’s noncompliance with one or more of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid’s (CMS) Conditions of Participation causes or is likely to cause serious injury, harm, impairment, or death. …