Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 26 issued a draft Unique Device Identification (UDI) guideline that requires most medical device labels and packages to bear a UDI in easily readable plain-text and automatic identification and data capture technology forms. UDIs must be issued under a system…

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Editor's Note Despite “superbug” outbreaks and alerts issued in Europe, Japanese device manufacturer Olympus Corp told US executives in early 2013 not to issue a broad warning to American hospitals about potentially deadly infections from tainted duodenoscopes, the July 24 Los Angeles Times reports. At the time, Olympus was aware…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are recommending using unique device identifiers (UDIs) in universal health insurance claims forms to improve value-based reimbursement for medical devices and postmarket surveillance, the July 14 Modern Healthcare reports. Proponents say UDIs could help…

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Editor's Note Olympus Corporation (Center Valley, Pennsylvania) has agreed to pay $623.2 million to resolve civil and criminal allegations that it paid kickbacks to hospitals and physicians in exchange for purchasing its endoscopes and equipment, the March 1 Modern Healthcare reports. The government alleged that Olympus lacked training and didn’t…

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Problems such as frequently running out of critical items, expired inventory, and secret stockpiling in the OR have become increasingly burdensome for surgeons, nursing staff, and hospital administration across the country. Wasteful supply chain spending marginalizes patient care and drives OR expenses out of control. “When the facility’s difficulties in…

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Editor's Note Faced with weak demand and falling prices, manufacturers are improving their product warranties and adding cost-sharing guarantees to compensate hospitals if their medical-surgical devices don’t perform as expected, Reuters reports. Among the companies offering the new guarantees are Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, and St Jude Medical, which have…

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One way to shave the OR operating budget is to trim the supply spend, and for orthopedic service lines in particular, reining in costs related to implants can make a big impact. Some orthopedic service providers have achieved dramatic savings by adopting a “rep-less” model for certain procedures. At Loma…

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Loopholes in supply contracts can wreak havoc with a supply budget, but attention to detail and proper terminology can help OR managers take charge instead of being charged unnecessary fees. “Not managing your agreement will cost you 12% to 25% of the spend or 100% of any savings achieved,” Girard…

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With decreasing Medicare reimbursements and increasing pressure to reduce costs, OR leaders everywhere are looking for creative solutions to balance their budgets. At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH) in Philadelphia, standardizing surgical mesh looked like a way to save a bundle, and indeed a $1.5 million savings over a 3-year…

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When OR Manager examined vendor credentialing in 2009, hospitals had a hodgepodge of requirements. OR managers and purchasing departments were making their first forays into third-party software for managing credentialing, and there was a crying need for standardization. Four years later, progress has been made in developing credentialing standards, and…

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