Safety 
The 36th OR Manager Conference is here! Starting on September 17, hundreds of perioperative leaders will be meeting in Music City, Nashville, TN, at the Music City Center for four days of educational and networking opportunities, as well as exposure to one of the most culturally rich cities in the…
In the May issue of OR Manager, an article from us at the Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI) covered the definition of the nurse leader in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) space, and what that role may look like depending upon the structural organization of the ASC. We covered that…
OR leaders face numerous challenges in managing high patient volumes and complex procedures, as well as in maintaining staff morale. To meet these demands, many ORs have turned to nurse travelers for temporary staffing support. With the addition of nurse travelers, the responsibilities of OR leaders increase, putting them at…
ASC leaders continue to see increased surgical volumes but are finding it difficult to staff their centers, according to the 2023 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than half (56%) of respondents reported increased volume in the past 12 months, the same as last year. Yet the ability to recruit new…
Ambulatory is the term the industry is “stuck with” because that is the name the founders came up with in 1970, says David Shapiro, MD, CASC, CPHRM, LHR, an anesthesiologist with extensive experience in ambulatory surgery management and a member of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) board.…
Takeaways • Patient data & safety are at risk: 94% of hospitals have experienced at least one cyberattack. • Less than half of hospitals in the US carry cybersecurity insurance. • Security is a two-part strategy: cybersecurity insurance as well as preventative measures (eg, encrypted backups, patches, and training). When…
Healthcare facilities face challenges in the recall process of tissue, non-biologic implants, and medical devices because of their time-sensitive nature and inherent risks to patient safety and compliance. Hospitals often use secondary sources for recall notifications. These lists, however, do not include two critical pieces—the identification of affected patient cases…
Using sterile items in surgery is a fundamental practice, not a rudimentary one that can or should be taken for granted. Put simply, using unsterile items can result in a patient infection. If sterile storage conditions are not appropriate, the items can become contaminated. Such contamination may go undetected, rendering…
A big question was circulating amongst the OR professionals at the AORN Global Surgical Conference floor this year: “How do we improve our miscount protocols?” It was clear that nurses and OR managers are looking for a better miscount management solution. Manual counting has been the standard in preventing retained…
Takeaways Rural hospital purchases by larger health systems should improve access to surgical treatment in remote areas, but some acquisitions have resulted in decreased care quality and reduced access to services, as shown by recent examples. Despite challenges, rural hospital acquisitions can lead to expanded services, enhanced perioperative support, and…
