The pace of increased surgical volume has slowed, but continues to trend upward, according to the 2017 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. The volume of surgical procedures in the past 12 months increased for 43% of respondents, the same as in 2015, but was down from the 51% reported last…

Read More

Hiring experienced staff remains a challenge for leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) even as many organizations increase case volume and specialties, according to the 2017 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than two-thirds (67%) of respondents said that recruiting experienced RNs had become more difficult in the past 12…

Read More

Editor's Note A new Kronos survey finds that 93% of nurses are satisfied with their career choice, but fatigue is a substantial issue, the May 8 Business Wire reports. In the survey titled, “Employee Engagement in Nursing,” 98% say their work is both physically and mentally demanding. More than 40%…

Read More

Editor's Note Nursing remains the most-trusted profession in Gallup’s annual honesty and ethical standards survey for the 15th year in a row. A total of 84% of respondents rated nurses’ honesty and ethical standards as high or very high. Pharmacists and physicians were second and third in the ratings at…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 30 announced that to better align with Medicare surveyor guidelines, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) electing to use the Medicare-deemed option may receive adjustment to the length of time for the survey and number of surveyors. The Life Safety Code component of the survey…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

Part 1 of this series on staffing challenges, published in October OR Manager, explored the challenge of increased demand. In Part 2, we turn to lack of experience, again including examples of how OR leaders are responding.   Recruiting for experience In all, 70% of respondents to the 2016 OR…

Read More

Recent developments, including the push to outpatient services, increased consumer engagement, and a focus on outcomes, have made ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) well positioned in the healthcare marketplace. But as with any marketplace, it takes bold thinking and thoughtful strategy to ensure an ASC stands out to consumers, physicians, and…

Read More

Editor's Note A new survey by The Physicians Foundation finds that half of physicians have reached a tipping point and plan to retire, cut back on work hours, or seek nonclinical roles. Physicians identified regulatory/paperwork burdens and loss of autonomy as the primary sources of their dissatisfaction. Nearly 60% say…

Read More