- Simulation labs aid OR staff education
- JCAHO survey: Being ready every day
- Pennsylvania reporting infections by hospital
- Improving the OR’s medication safety
- Models for governance of the OR
- Power of teams theme for conference
- Learning from the Most Wired hospitals
- JCAHO invites input on draft 2008 goals
- CMS revises rules on H&P and more
- CMS plans changes in guidelines for consent, alcohol-based preps
- Weighing the decision to become a bariatric center of excellence
- GAO agrees with CMS on basing ASC pay on hospital outpatient pay
- Financial benchmarking for your ASC
Simulation labs aid OR staff education
OR assistants needed more practice handling microscopes and laparoscopes. OR teams wanted to brush up on trauma skills. New nursing staff and medical students needed a realistic environment to practice scrubbing, gowning, and gloving. At Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, they go to the Center for Medical Education and…
JCAHO survey: Being ready every day
Forget the big push to get ready for a survey by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. All surveys are now unannounced, so organizations must be ready every day. Banner Desert Medical Center, Mesa, Ariz, with 600 beds, last surveyed in February 2006, has switched into continuous-readiness mode.…
Pennsylvania reporting infections by hospital
Pennsylvania on Nov 14 became the first state to publicly report the actual number of patients who acquired infections at each of its 168 hospitals in 2005. "It's important to shed light on this important and costly issue," said Marc Volavka, the director of the council that released the report.…
Improving the OR's medication safety
Unlabeled medications on the sterile field are a known patient safety hazard. In 2006, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations issued a requirement under the National Patient Safety Goals mandating labeling of all medications, medication containers, and other solutions on and off the sterile field. Research at…
Models for governance of the OR
What is the key to a successful leadership model in perioperative services? Is the model different for academic and community hospitals? Does the structure differ in organizations with an integrated physician model versus a private practice model? If we are not achieving our goals as hospital and physician leaders, it…
Power of teams theme for conference
If health care were sports, physicians would be playing golf or tennis. Each MD would be trying to win a match to score points for the team. Nurses would be playing volleyball, where every member has a role—to dig, set, or spike the ball. Physicians and nurses both consider themselves…
Learning from the Most Wired hospitals
A lot has been invested in information technology (IT), and more is needed. What is the return? Increasingly, the return is measured not only in financial terms but in the value added to clinical and operational processes. "Hospitals are telling us they have an insatiable appetite for data, to track…
JCAHO invites input on draft 2008 goals
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is seeking input on potential National Patient Safety Goals and requirements for 2008. The deadline for comments is Jan 26, 2007. Final 2008 goals will be announced later in the year. The draft goals for hospitals are: Improving the accuracy of…
CMS revises rules on H&P and more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule Nov 27 revising certain parts of the Medicare hospital conditions of participation. The rule covers histories & physicals (H&Ps), authentication of verbal orders, medication security, and postanesthesia evaluations. The revisions, effective Jan 26, 2007, apply to inpatient and…
CMS plans changes in guidelines for consent, alcohol-based preps
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to make changes in its interpretive guidelines on 2 issues of particular concern to OR managers—listing names of individuals on the consent form who will be assisting the surgeon and use of alcohol-based prep solutions. A CMS official described the planned…
Weighing the decision to become a bariatric center of excellence
Bariatric surgery received a boost in February 2006, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would cover Medicare patients undergoing selected procedures. But patients must have the procedure at a facility accredited as a Bariatric Center of Excellence (BCOE) (sidebar, p 14). Is it time for…
GAO agrees with CMS on basing ASC pay on hospital outpatient pay
Medicare is on the right track in planning to base ambulatory surgery center (ASC) payments on the system used to pay hospitals for their outpatient procedures, says a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Congress called for the report in 2003 to see how accurately hospital outpatient payment…
Financial benchmarking for your ASC
How many staff members should we have per case? Are our supply costs per case on target? How many employees do we need in our business office? Ambulatory surgery center (ASC) managers looking for answers can turn to financial benchmarking reports. Benchmarking can be useful in seeing how your ASC…
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