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Perioperative services overhaul proves effort is worth the time

Getting a zero deficiency rating on a recent Joint Commission survey and bringing sterile processing in house are 2 of many improvements made at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital over the past decade. When Frances Baldwin, MBA, RN, assistant vice president of perioperative services, joined the hospital 11 years ago, Georgetown…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Conference takes OR leaders and business managers to the next level

High-quality presentations, a high level of enthusiasm, and the highest-ever attendance were the hallmarks of the OR Business Management Conference that took place February 11-13 in New Orleans. Nearly 300 attendees—more than triple the number who attended the workshop in 2013—gathered to learn from experts in the healthcare industry. Tips…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Editorial

Among the many changes occurring in healthcare delivery, clinically integrated networks and care coordination to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction are increasingly important. Although 30-day readmissions generally have declined in recent years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has upped the ante by adding elective total hip arthroplasty, total…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Keynoter Tim Porter-O'Grady sees new roles for perioperative nurses

Tim Porter-O’Grady, DM, EdD, ScD(h), APRN, FAAN, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s OR Manager Conference, which takes place September 17-19 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. The conference features 4 tracks—ambulatory surgery centers, business management, a masters series, and new manager—designed to address…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Restructuring and revamping workflow help a small hospital make big strides

Working for a small facility after spending many years at a large one can present a host of leadership challenges, but meeting those challenges with process changes and improved efficiencies can be highly satisfying. After serving more than 23 years at the Cedar Crest campus of Lehigh Valley Health Network…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Formula for successful cost control includes hard data plus surgeon champion

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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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Firm policies and the right procedures tip the cost-benefit balance toward flip rooms

We spoke recently with surgery department leaders at an academic medical center in the Midwest. One of their biggest concerns was a challenge faced by many ORs today: “Flip rooms are just killing us.” Most surgeons prefer the efficiency and revenue potential of a flip room schedule. But for hospitals,…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Learning from Leaning: Case cart readiness improves after barriers are removed

Bristol Hospital had a supply problem. Instruments were often missing from case carts, so nurses had to scramble to find the items on the morning of a scheduled procedure. Staff wondered whether the problem was caused by shortages, but a Lean process revealed an entirely different scenario and forged a…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Multiple OR multidisciplinary team huddles promote ownership of process improvements

Huddles are hot. Experts cite them as effective patient safety tools, and many hospitals have implemented them on nursing units at the start of the shift. The perioperative services team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, broadened the huddle concept to include several disciplines and a structured format,…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Competency matrix modeled on ski trail difficulty validates staff skills at Vail center

Surgeon concerns about staff competency and high turnover of surgical technologists at Vail Valley Medical Center (VVMC), Vail, Colorado, prompted the development of a staffing skills competency matrix. VVMC is a community hospital with 4 rooms in its main OR, 4 rooms in its adjoining surgery center, and 4 rooms…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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Figure out future needs and goals before breaking ground on your new facility

Less than 2 years after the New England Baptist Outpatient Care Center was imagined, its doors opened in September 2013. The sparkling new ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in the Boston suburb of Dedham, Massachusetts, isn’t far from the country’s oldest timber-framed house, the Fairbanks House, built in 1637—long before building…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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ASCs part of the new face of healthcare

With fewer new ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) forming each year and more merging back into hospitals, it has become popular to describe the industry as “mature.” It’s not yet time for an obituary, however. Improved technology, bolstered by healthcare reform, is driving a transition to outpatient treatment, and, when it…

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By: OR Manager
March 13, 2014
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