Editor's Note US News & World Report on July 28 released its 2019-2020 Best Hospitals Honor Roll. The top five are: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota Cleveland Clinic Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell, New York City, and UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles (tie) Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston…

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Spikes in coronavirus cases starting in late June threatened to overwhelm hospitals in several states. Utah is one such state, but steps previously taken at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City suggest the 23-hospital system will be able to manage a surge. Leaders at Inova Health System in Falls Church,…

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Staffing to a block duration can be inefficient. Uncontrolled variables such as increased case complexity and unexpected staff absences can cause chaos. Leaders from Penn Medicine—Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia used data analytics to measure the efficiency of matching staffing against an optimized OR schedule, which allowed them to predict staffing…

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Healthcare facilities in recent months have been catching up on case backlogs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But new infection surges in several states have overwhelmed some hospitals, leading to renewed bans on elective procedures in Texas and Florida as of early July. The higher rates of infection are attributable…

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Anyone who attends the OR Manager Conference can expect a rich educational experience that will help them be better leaders. In-depth preconference workshops, breakout sessions, and opportunities to explore the latest technology are tailored to provide solutions to the problems all OR managers face. The conference typically ends on a…

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For decades, the OR Manager Conference has been a highlight of the year. This year, in the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference will offer a welcome change of scene, fresh perspectives, and valuable insights for OR nurse leaders at all stages of their careers. The conference currently is…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from five universities confirm that a persistent cough and fever are the most prevalent symptoms of adults infected with COVID-19. However, there is a large proportion of people who have the virus but do not display symptoms. Among the findings of this analysis of…

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Editor's Note As hospitals begin ramping up elective surgical procedures, healthcare leaders face significant challenges, the June 23 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. A market research survey by Lumeon (Boston) found that the top operational concern for healthcare leaders is making sure patients feel safe to schedule and come into hospitals…

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Editor's Note A regional, coalition-guided, multifaceted approach that engaged healthcare systems, long-term care facilities, state and local governments, and organizations to rapidly respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, kept Washington State’s death rate the lowest of all states with major outbreaks, this study finds. Six key factors helped “flatten the curve:”…

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Resuming elective surgical procedures is critical for recovering revenue lost during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and treating patients whose health may have been compromised while awaiting surgery. Timetables and protocols for resuming those procedures tend to differ by facility, but OR leaders nationwide feel that “we’re all…

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