about us

Founded in 1985 by Ellie Schrader and Pat Patterson, OR Manager, Inc, has been the leader in providing information on management of the OR.

Periodicals

The OR Manager publication, launched in 1985, reaches 3,200 subscribers across the country and internationally. OR Manager, Inc, also publishes OR Reports, an electronic publication comprising abstracts of scientific literature relating to the OR environment. It is available online as part of the OR Manager Super Subscription.

Conferences

OR Manager, Inc, offers two conferences. The Managing Today’s OR Suite conference, held in the fall, attracts some 800 OR directors and others involved in the management of the OR. The OR Business Management conference, held in the spring, attracts a broader audience of personnel involved in the financial management of the OR.

Publications

OR Manager also publishes books publishes books directly related to management of the OR.

OR Benchmarks

OR Benchmarks provides benchmarking services to hospitals and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers. Its services include surgical procedure surveys and surgeon satisfaction surveys.

The Company

A small company with headquarters in Santa Fe, NM, OR Manager is staffed by 6.5 FTEs and one Golden Retriever. OR Manager is a virtual company with personnel located in four different cities. We are connected by phone, fax, the Internet . . . and a great deal of experience and enjoyment working together.

Elinor S. Schrader, President and Publisher

As president OR Manager, Inc, Ellie’s mission has been to provide OR personnel with the information and tools they need as managers of the OR. She is publisher of OR Manager, the newsletter for OR decision makers, and OR Reports, the electronic publication of abstracts of scientific research relating to the OR environment.

Before founding OR Manager, Inc, with Pat Patterson in 1985, Ellie was editor of the AORN Journal for eleven years. She is a graduate of Cornell University.

Pat Patterson, Editor

Editor of OR Manager since its inception in 1985, Pat is co-owner with Ellie Schrader. They worked together at the AORN Journal, where Pat was associate editor for 5 years. With 25 years of experience writing about the operating room, Pat is known for her accurate reporting, her clear and understandable writing style, and her ability to identify the important trends in the OR.

Her nursing publishing experience includes an earlier position as staff specialist in public relations at the Michigan Nurses’ Association and writing and editing newsletters for the Visiting Nurse Association in Denver. A graduate of Kalamazoo College, she did graduate work in journalism at Michigan State University, East Lansing.

Judy Mathias, RN, MA, Clinical Editor

Judy writes articles for OR Manager and is editor of OR Reports, an electronic review of the scientific literature relating to the OR.

Before joining OR Manager in 1990, she was clinical editor of the AORN Journal. She has been a staff nurse at Rose Medical Center, Denver, and other hospitals in Colorado and Illinois. She has specialized in cardiology.

With a nursing diploma from St Louis City Hospital School of Nursing, she has a BSN from Colorado Women’s College, Denver, and a master of arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado.

Judy Dahle, RN, MS, Education Coordinator

As education coordinator, Judy plans the education programs for the Managing Today’s OR Suite conference and the OR Business Management conference. She is also liaison to the OR Benchmarks Collaborative, a partnership with McKesson.

She has been on the OR Manager, Inc, staff for ten years as director of OR Benchmarks, where she has directed the procedure cost studies and coordinated the surgeon satisfaction surveys.

A perioperative nurse for 41 years, Judy was a director of surgical services for 15 years.

Stuart Patterson, PhD

As a computer expert and engineering scientist, Stu brings many years of experience to the position of chief technical officer. After many years of teaching engineering and computer science at Swarthmore College, he was director of the computer center at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo, and on the board of Cray Research.

Susanna Hesch, Administration Assistant

When you call OR Manager, you will reach Susanna, who will answer your questions or field subscription problems or conference registration issues. She handles all the front office functions. Susanna maintains the OR Manager database and manages subscriptions, conference registrations, and orders.

Susanna, a graduate of Santa Fe Community College, has worked as an LPN in a community clinic and family practice offices and as a clinical laboratory specialist in cytogenetics with many years in cancer diagnosis.

Maiz Azul Better know as Maizie, this Golden Retriever is in charge of napping, greeting the UPS person, assisting staff in eating activities, and keeping daily tasks in perspective by insisting on long walks. Clearly, it’s a dog’s life.