Today’s chat is with Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman, MSN, MBA, RN, CASC, Administrator, Heartland Surgery Center, Kearney, Nebraska. Q: What is something that went right at your facility and/or that you are thankful for this year? What has gone right this year and makes our center so successful every year is the…

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Today’s chat is with Brian S. Dawson, MSN, RN, CNOR, CSSM, System VP, Perioperative Services, CommonSpirit Health, Denver. Q: What is something that went right at your facility and/or that you are thankful for this year? I couldn’t have asked for anything better this year than how our perioperative council…

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Editor's Note Severe staffing shortages paired with high labor costs are among the most significant challenges faced by hospitals today, according to responses from hospital executives in an October 18 KaufmanHall survey, HealthLeaders October 31 reports. The survey, named the 2022 State of Healthcare Improvement Report, shows that nearly half…

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Editor's Note Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass Gen) in Boston this summer saw an “unprecedented” surge in demand for mental healthcare services, culminating in a “staggering 880 people on its waitlist for psychiatric services,” The Washington Post October 29 reports. According to the article, Mass Gen had to issue a letter…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on October 26 that it will resume intracycle calls for Disease-Specific Care (DSC) and Health Care Staffing Services (HCSS) certification programs, starting January 1, 2023. These calls, which were suspended in 2021 because of COVID-19, require programs to update their intracycle tabs in the…

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Editor's Note On October 25, Health Affairs reported that healthcare systems continue to face challenges in a post-pandemic environment but are likely to have the worst financial year in decades, according to Becker’s Hospital CFO Report October 26. US hospitals saw fluctuations in operating margins in 2022 but are still…

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Editor's Note In order to address the current (and future) nursing shortage, a “Legacy Think Tank” has been established for the purpose of generating viable options to engage retired nurses to play a role in alleviating this shortage. Joanne Oliver, BSN, RN, CNOR, and her team are asking for any…

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Editor's Note The last day of the OR Manager Conference saw perhaps its most inventive breakout session yet. The ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leadership roundtable panel led attendees through an education-filled hour marked by games, interaction, and trivia. “Technology is the way of the future, it is here, and we…

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Editor's Notes Sherry Rogers, director of robotics at Emory Healthcare, identified key elements for establishing operational excellence in robotic surgery during this breakout session on the last day of the conference. Rogers noted the practices and procedures she and her colleagues apply to Emory’s robotics program that have helped them…

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Editor's Note  Jeff Whitehorn, LFACHE, ACC, founder of Whitehorn Coaching and Consulting, concluded the OR Manager Conference on Wednesday, October 19, by discussing culture CPR—the acronym which, as he explained, stands for Celebration, Passion, and Recognition—as well as best practices for successfully retaining staff. Healthcare lost 20% of its workforce,…

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