Physicians receive little leadership training in medical school, so they don’t always perform well in leadership roles. At Florida Hospital Orlando, that education gap is being filled through the Physician Leader Development (PLD) program, which applies military leadership principles to the healthcare setting. The innovative course has benefited not only…
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major cause of morbidity in surgical patients, leading to increased length of stay and healthcare costs. No single intervention has demonstrated efficacy in reducing SSIs. When SSIs rose to a rate of 16.3% in 2013 at St Elizabeth Boardman Hospital in Boardman, Ohio, perioperative…
Increasing costs and shrinking margins have continued to pressure business managers and senior hospital leadership to rethink strategies for raising surgeons’ awareness of product and nonlabor costs within the OR. Often providers are asked to cut costs but are unaware of the actual costs of the products they use. In…
Like a football team gathering to confirm tactical details before a play, surgical staff often form a huddle to ensure readiness of the providers, patient, and equipment for the upcoming procedure. In a twist on the traditional huddle the day before surgery, staff at the Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC)…
A growing number of new devices, procedures, and drugs are becoming available to alleviate pain, especially the chronic type that lingers after incurring an injury or undergoing surgery. Pain management has become a medical specialty, and most pain relief procedures are appropriate for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Some ASCs make…
Beginning January 1, 2017, the Joint Commission is “making significant changes in its survey methods and its standards manual,” says John R. Rosing, MHA, FACHE, executive vice president and principal, Patton Healthcare Consulting, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and OR managers need to be prepared for them. The reason, he says, is that…
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…
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…
Recent outbreaks of deadly infections linked to flexible endoscopes have made headlines, and the Food and Drug Administration has issued strict guidelines for reprocessing these devices. However, cleaning and disinfection may not be effective under the recommended protocols, says Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, epidemiologist and president and chief executive officer,…
Is it possible to adequately capture the experience of patients undergoing anesthesia when their awareness and perceptions are typically altered by their very experience? A 5-year study of anesthesia patient satisfaction suggests that not only is it possible, but the results are meaningful in providing anesthesia-specific validation and in identifying…
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