A new Medicare payment policy is spurring hospitals to strengthen their programs to prevent pressure ulcers and other avoidable complications. Starting in October 2008, Medicare will no longer pay extra for treatment of 8 preventable conditions acquired in the hospital, including pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcers not only interfere with recovery,…

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How ORs conduct time-outs varies widely—and facilities tend not to follow their own policies. These findings are part of a statewide project in Pennsylvania to learn how wrong-site surgery happens and how to prevent it. As part of the project, researchers observed one or more steps of 48 procedures at…

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OR nurse managers make it their business to stay on top of new technology, but even they are challenged when faced with building or remodeling a suite of ORs. Wired or wireless phones? How much imaging equipment? Can I afford a supply tracking system? There are just a few of…

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New research sheds light on how well surgical counting works as a patient safety method. The study shows that though counting is a pretty good way of preventing retained foreign bodies, it is not perfect. In the study of more than 150,000 operations performed at Columbia University Medical Center in…

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OR holds slow the entire hospital's throughput. "What happens in the OR doesn't stay in the OR—it affects the whole system," says Christy Dempsey, RN, MBA, CNOR, senior vice president of clinical operations for PatientFlow Technology, Inc, Boston. The emergency department (ED) and ICU are particularly hard hit. Holds can…

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The first of two articles. With the biggest change in payment methodology in 2 decades, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are facing a pivotal year. The new year brought the beginning of the new Medicare payment system for ASCs and the addition of more than 800 Medicare-approved procedures to the ASC…

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Complying with medication reconciliation, National Patient Safety Goal 8, is one of the biggest challenges in Joint Commission surveys of ambulatory care organizations, including surgery centers. Goal 8 requires organizations to "accurately and completely reconcile medications across the continuum of care." Medication reconciliation tool kit The Joint Commission International Center…

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More than ever, OR leaders and physicians need to be on the same page. Intense collaboration is needed to make progress on safety and quality initiatives as well as cost management. Peggy Naas, RN, MD, MBA Yet physicians have competition for their time and loyalty. They may have an interest…

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