OR nurse leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have fewer open positions and lower turnover rates than hospitals, but recruitment of experienced OR staff remains a challenge. Those are some findings from the 2007 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. The survey was mailed in May to 1,000 nurse managers of…

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OR nursing leaders are facing a worsening shortage of staff, particularly RNs, according to the 2007 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. In the survey's seventh year of including staffing issues, the number of open positions and vacancy rates rose in contrast to last year, when the shortage seemed to be…

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Hospitals would have to report on 10 outpatient quality measures to get a full update in their 2009 outpatient payments, under a proposed Medicare rule issued July 16. Two of the measures affect surgery: timing of antibiotic prophylaxis selection of antibiotic. Other quality measures apply to acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia,…

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Like a car's global positioning system (GPS), computer-assisted surgical navigation helps orthopedic surgeons get their bearings. A navigation system receives and transmits data about joint surfaces and placement of implants, displaying the information on a computer screen where the surgeon can view it. An image from the BrainLab VectorVision navigation…

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RNs working in hospitals In 2006, the average RN working in a hospital was: 48 years old worked 3.7 days per week and 35.8 hours per week worked 5.2 overtime hours per week earned $32.10 per hour Source: Adapted from Buerhaus P I, Donelan K, Ulrich B T, et al.…

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Do you judge your reports by the pound? Many OR leaders aren't lacking for data—they often receive stacks of reports every month. But they may lack good information, a plight some call DRIP—data rich but information poor. How can leaders avoid DRIP and get useful reports to guide decision making?…

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Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) see pluses and minuses in Medicare's final rule for a revised ASC payment system, released July 16. The new system, mandated by Congress to take effect by Jan 1, 2008, will for the first time base ASC payments on the hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS).…

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