A 'cockpit checklist' reduces defects in instrument sets
Checklists are a common safety strategy in the OR. Why not have a checklist for the sterile processing department (SPD)? A “cockpit checklist” has helped reduce defects in instrument sets at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, by serving as the final quality assurance audit before a set enters…
Quality reporting for ASCs is off to a good start
Starting October 1, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began requiring quality reports on Medicare claim forms from ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). From all indications, complications were few, and ASCs already are using the new statistics to gain insight into operational trends. Ultimately, the self-reports of patient…
Preventing SSIs: Keys to solutions lie with your front-line clinicians
How will a surgical site infection (SSI) develop in the next patient who has colorectal surgery? What can we do to prevent it? These 2 questions helped a team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to identify 6 interventions that achieved a 33% reduction in SSIs after colon operations. The…
Editorial
There are good reasons to think about how patients experience your OR and your facility. It isn’t about private rooms and better food. The quality of their experience is fundamental to keeping patients safe. A new analysis from HealthGrades finds hospitals with the highest ratings for nurse and physician communications…
Practice now applying the new ASC quality codes
While the deadline for beginning to report quality measures on Medicare claim forms is not until October 1, 2012, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) can start practicing. On April 1, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a set of reporting codes for the first 5 measures. The…
New US total joint registry signing up hospitals
A new hip or knee implant comes on the market. Surgeons would like to start using it. But the cost is higher than current implants the hospital is using. Will it offer better outcomes for patients? The answer has been hard to come by. If there is outcomes data, it…
Quality council aids ASC staff in building skills
A new resource has emerged to help ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) manage the proliferating requirements they face in achieving and demonstrating performance. It is the quality council. “Another meeting?” one might ask. “Another task that does not include hands-on patient care?” Actually, a well-run quality council can save time, ensure…
A report card on OR info systems
A new report card on surgery information systems is out, the first in 3 years. The report from KLAS Enterprises reviews the 8 top surgery software systems. KLAS is an independent firm that compiles user ratings of health care software. The new report, titled Surgery Management 2010: In Pursuit of…
A Lean process for OR technology
With tighter budgets and long lists of technology requests, organizations need a fair and systematic way to set priorities. At Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC) in Seattle, where Lean manufacturing principles are part of the culture, it was natural to apply Lean to the review of new surgical supplies and…
What's the value of preop bathing?
Preoperative baths or showers to prevent surgical infections have played to mixed reviews. Enthusiasm was dampened after a systematic Cochrane review in 2006, updated in 2009, examined 7 trials and found no clear evidence of a benefit for bathing or showering with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) over a placebo. Preop bathing…
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