Imagine that during a total joint surgical procedure, debris comes out of a surgical instrument and lands directly inside a patient’s open wound. Although such a scenario is rare, when it does occur, it creates a major patient infection risk. Many standards and guidelines recommend best practices that can help…

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Any process improvement project is far more likely to succeed with backing from leadership. The familiar phrase, “the buck stops here,” reflects a mindset that applies to OR managers who take ownership of what happens to their patients and their staffs every day. But what if they could say, “the…

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The COVID-19 pandemic is top of mind for ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders, finds the OR Manager 2020 Salary/Career Survey. Most of the 69 ASC leaders who completed the survey responded to an open-ended question about how the pandemic had affected their facility and staff, with the most frequent comments…

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With more technologically advanced procedures being performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), it’s increasingly important to monitor data on supplies and manage physician preferences for particular implants. Physicians don’t always realize that reimbursement is lower for many procedures performed in an ASC than in hospitals, and therefore they may not…

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Editor's Note For every two deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the US between March and July, a third person died as a result of the pandemic, finds this study from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond. COVID-19 was cited in 65% of excess deaths (the gap between observed…

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Editor's Note A Kaufman Hall survey released October 19 finds that nearly 75% of hospital executives are “extremely” or “moderately” worried about their organizations’ financial viability without a COVID-19 vaccine. One third say year-over-year operating margins dropped more than 100% in the second quarter. The only specialty area that a…

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Editor's Note An American College of Surgeons survey finds a significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical residents and early-career surgeons. Of 1,160 respondents (465 residents, 695 early-career surgeons), 96% reported the pandemic had a negative effect on their clinical experience. About one third reported inadequate access to personal…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 15 announced that it reissued the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for certain N95 and other filtering face-piece respirators that are manufactured in China and are not approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety…

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Editor's Note Recently published data from a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that 70.6% of COVID-19-positive patients report “always” wearing a mask, 14.4% report “often” wearing a mask, and 3.9% report “never” wearing a mask (See Table: Reported use of cloth face covering or…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced October 14 that, effective October 15, surveyors will evaluate the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reporting requirements for COVID-19 testing results in the Laboratory Accreditation Program. Surveyors will review documentation of COVID-19 test result reporting during the Regulatory Review session of an…

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