Long gone are the days when employer-based health insurance covered most, if not all, of patients’ healthcare bills. Insurance companies and employers expect individuals to pay a larger chunk of healthcare costs themselves. The 2018 benchmark Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Employer Health Benefits Survey found that “a quarter (26%) of…

The safety officer plays an important role in helping a healthcare facility maintain a safe environment for patients, staff, and visitors. The person in this role should complement the safety plan in helping to reduce risk. Responsibilities of the safety officer include assisting in staff safety education, monitoring the environment,…

Mandatory implementation of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Survey (OAS CAHPS) originally scheduled for 2018 has been delayed, but that does not mean it should be ignored, say ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders. The earliest projected date when the survey could become mandatory…

We have all heard the safety instructions prior to takeoff: Put on your own oxygen mask first, before helping others around you. However, as nurses and caregivers, we are often so busy helping those around us that we don’t even think about applying our own “oxygen mask,” or what the…

Leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are less satisfied than they were a year ago, according to the OR Manager 2018 Salary/Career Survey. In 2017, 83% were satisfied with their current job or position, compared with 77% this year. Other areas where satisfaction dipped by five percentage points or more…

We asked some top ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders, including members of OR Manager’s Editorial Advisory Board, to identify the top challenges ASC leaders are facing. Here are their responses. We believe you will see some of your own challenges reflected in their comments.   Mary Stewart, MSN, BSN, RN…

Would You Be Scoped in Your Own Facility? Tips and Tricks to Endoscope Reprocessing by Nancy Schlossberg, BSN, RN, CGRN, CER, Program Director-Digestive Health Services, John Muir Health   New guidelines from the American Cancer Society recommend that colorectal cancer screening begin at a younger age than what is currently…

Are Your Hands Clean? - Exploring the Importance of Hand Hygiene in ASCs by Donna Label, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CNOR, Consultant   Taylor, thank you so much for asking me to do this post for the new ASC blog with OR Manger. As this is my first entry, I felt…

OR Manager’s ASC Blog: Welcome by Beverly Kirchner BSN, RN, CNOR, CASC, COO, SurgeryDirect, LLC   It all starts with the first blog post. This blog is meant for all ambulatory surgery center leaders (whether a charge nurse or an administrator) as a means to stay in the know (read:…

Hungarian obstetrician Ingvar Semmelweis recognized the link between hand washing and childbirth fever in the mid-1800s. During his lifetime, this theory was often ignored or mocked, but ultimately hand washing was scientifically proven to prevent infections. Almost two centuries later, hand washing still reigns as the queen of infection prevention,…