Impact of supply chain crisis on surgical services
What happens when global supply chains—which are already typically operated lean across the board—are hit with a once-in-a-century pandemic? An ongoing, collective lesson in economics. The problem is not hard to understand: COVID-19 shutdowns brought manufacturing to a near standstill, during which time the demand for goods increased, and now there…
Establishing service lines in ambulatory surgery centers
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare industry could fill an entire academic curriculum at this point, let alone a single article. But one potential silver lining among the storms of bad news is the increasing migration of elective procedures from hospitals to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Although…
Three cybersecurity companies offering free service to US hospitals
Editor's Note OR Manager recently reported on the increased cybersecurity risk the Russia/Ukraine conflict poses to US healthcare systems. With two new malware threats identified last week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI are urging US organizations and the private sector, including healthcare, to stay vigilant and…
Cybersecurity alert: Two new malware threats identified, increased risk
Editor's Note On February 23, the American Hospital Association (AHA) released a Cybersecurity Advisory report because of the heightened risk of cyberattacks due to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to AHA, just this past weekend, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI urged the US private sector, including…
Johns Hopkins robot performs first laparoscopic intestinal anastomosis without human help
Editor's Note The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), designed by a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University, has performed laparoscopic intestinal anastomoses in four experiments on pig tissue without human help. The robot outperformed surgeons using manual-laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgical techniques in the consistency of suture spacing and bite…
Creating work schedules with AI reduces physician burnout
Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI)-based scheduling significantly improved physician engagement and reduced burnout, in this study presented by Ochsner Health researchers, January 28, at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ ADVANCE 2022, the Anesthesiology Business Event, in Dallas. The AI-based scheduling software, which created fair and flexible schedules that supported work-life…
Integrated data, insights lead to cost, time savings for OR staff
In 2020, supply costs were once again reported as one of the greatest line-item expenses in a hospital, exceeding labor expenses. US hospitals have most recently reported a combined $36 billion in medical and surgical supply costs. These expenses account for more than half of a hospital’s total supply costs.…
ECRI names Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2022
Editor's Note ECRI has named cybersecurity attacks as the number one health technology hazard for 2022. In its report, ECRI notes that all healthcare organizations are subject to cybersecurity attacks, and that the question is not whether they will be attacked but when. A cybersecurity attack could threaten medical devices…
Patient safety and the “Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)”
With all of the advantages that come from electronic health records and connected devices, some distinct security risks also exist. Healthcare is seeing these risks grow in the form of ransomware, phishing attacks, and cybersecurity breaches. Healthcare has become one of the industries most vulnerable to cyberattacks, and one with…
The Joint Commission issues new Quick Safety on cybersecurity
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on October 20, announced a new Quick Safety—“Organization-wide cybersecurity: Creating a culture of defense.” Cybersecurity can no longer be viewed as just the province of the IT department. It must be the responsibility of all staff that have access to digital information, electronic health…
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