There is movement happening in the world of surgical gowns. It is driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought new focus to the need for adequate stockpiles of personal protective equipment (PPE)—and for PPE that works as intended. Staff need to know their gowns incorporate the latest technology…

Read More

Editor's Note “Can cost and resiliency co-exist?” Michael Schiller, CMRP, executive director (interim) of the Association for Healthcare Resources and Materials Management—a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association—asked this session’s audience on the last day of the OR Business Management Conference. “They can co-exist,” he said, “but resiliency…

Read More

Editor's Note The US government's sale of the Federal Helium Reserve, a large underground helium stockpile in Amarillo, Texas, has raised concerns about the supply of helium for critical healthcare applications, especially MRI machines, NBC News reported January 25. The Federal Helium Reserve reportedly provides up to 30% of the…

Read More

Editor's Note The Biden Administration will issue a “Presidential Determination” that will expand the authority of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in order to boost the domestic supply chain for essential medicines, a November 27 HHS press release reports.  The measure will include new investment in domestic…

Read More

Editor's Note Across the US, drug shortages are on the rise, including for chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, and weight-loss drugs, PBS News November 5 reports. This trend is worrisome for many reasons, experts say, with the top-pressing concern being high-risk patients having to switch to less effective or more aggressive regimens…

Read More

Editor's Note A new survey from ECRI finds that shortages of medications and medical supplies and equipment are harming patients, the nonprofit organization reported in an October 13 news release. ECRI surveyed nearly 200 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, procurement specialists, physicians, and nurses in July 2023. Following are some takeaways from…

Read More

Editor’s Note Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, CCTP, director of nursing programs at the American Nurses Association, spoke about the future of healthcare leaders at the OR Manager Conference on Monday morning. “There’s a concern about leadership in healthcare,” and there is a resistance to change, she noted.…

Read More

Editor's Note As supply chain challenges remain a top concern for health leaders in 2023, ECRI Institute shared three strategies to reduce wasted cost and maximize savings on February 28. Identify substitute products. Consider lower cost, functionally equivalent products and alternative suppliers. Work towards supply chain standardization. Access utilization. Review…

Read More

Editor’s Note "The pandemic is to healthcare what 9/11 was to the transportation industry. Just like you will never fly the same way, you will never get your hip replacement the same way," Andrew Martin, MSN, RN, CPHRM, Patient Safety Analyst / Consultant, ECRI Institute, told the audience in the…

Read More

Two major challenges that perioperative leaders are facing today are labor and supply costs. These two areas also happen to be the largest and second largest expense categories at most hospitals, making the challenges even more pronounced. What actions can leaders put in place to ensure that clinical staff are…

Read More