Editor's Note The AmericanCollege of Surgeons calls the usefulness of surgeon rating systems released last week by two public interest group websites questionable. The groups use differing methodologies (ie, years of Medicare data reviewed, procedures studied, and rating scales used) to determine their rankings, and a patient visiting both sites…
Editor's Note Work-hour restrictions for surgical resident, revised nationally 4 years ago to protect patients against fatigue-related errors, have not had the desired effect of lowering postoperative complication rates, according to this new study. Researchers from the American College of Surgeons found no significant difference in surgical outcomes between 1…
Solid teamwork and a commitment to high-quality patient care are the hallmarks of a successful healthcare facility. But egos sometimes get in the way, and competition among surgeons in the orthopedic service line at St Louis-based SSM Health Care was impeding progress. The surgeons were affiliated with three independent groups,…
More than $150 billion is spent annually on medical devices in the United States, with orthopedic and cardiac procedures accounting for almost all of Medicare’s device-related expenditures. Most of the recent increases in such expenditures have been related to the wider use of orthopedic devices, which is expected to grow…
Does your OR have a Hodad, a Raptor, or a Shrek? These are handles for dangerous surgeons that Martin Makary, MD, MPH, describes in his scathing new book, Unaccountable. Dr Makary, a surgeon and patient safety leader at Johns Hopkins, advocates a “transparency revolution” to make data public and motivate…
What does it take for an OR to get to the top of the chart in physician satisfaction? Baptist Medical Center Beaches, a 146-bed hospital serving the coastal communities of Jacksonville, Florida, scored in the 99th percentile for physician measures in a Press Ganey survey, one of the highest scores…
Will there be enough general surgeons to meet the needs of an aging population? How will the supply affect hospital ORs? Findings from a new study suggest the nation could be facing a shortage. The number of general surgeons per 100,000 Americans has fallen by more than 25% over the…