Fifth and final article in a series on managing bone allografts. A unified program for managing biologics, including tissues and blood, has helped a Massachusetts hospital to meet regulatory requirements, track adverse events, and have a consistent process for bringing new tissues into the organization. The 2½-year-old Biovigilance Program at…

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Top 3 delay reasons Aug 2010 Sept 2010 Oct 2010 1. Surgeon - H&P not completed Surgeon - H&P not completed Surgeon - Procedure consent not completed 2. Tie: All other reasons tied Patient/family - Questions/apprehension Tie: Anesthesia - assessment not completed; surgeon - late/unavailable 3. Tie: All other reasons…

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Is your value analysis process as strong as it could be? Value analysis is a key link in building a supply chain strong enough to stand up to today's cost management challenges. Check your process against these success factors, outlined by Thomas Skorup, MBA, FACHE, vice president of the Applied…

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OR Manager, Inc, is making an important transition in its successful history with its acquisition by Access Intelligence, LLC, and its Dorland Health Division as of January 2011. For 26 years, OR Manager, Inc, has provided information on management of the surgical suite through its monthly publication, conferences, webinars, and…

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Word has traveled to the executive suite that a high percentage of the OR's cases are starting late. There are also rumors of 1½ hour turnover times. As the manager, you know these don't reflect the OR's actual performance. How can you demonstrate that? One option is a dashboard that…

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Cell phone are everywhere including the OR. "Cell phones, especially smart phones, have become ubiquitous in our institution, including the OR," says Robert Cline, MD, medical director of perioperative services at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City Michigan. Nurses list texting as the number one use for their mobile phones…

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A Big 5 report keeps perioperative leaders at the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City abreast of leading financial metrics for the 31-OR department (illustration, p 9). The report displays financial variances for the 5 surgical supply-focused expense areas: medical-surgical supplies instrumentation implants wound closure supplies drug supplies. "These…

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Surgeons at St Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut, were frustrated because the scheduled start times for their cases during the day seemed to vary a lot. Using their new dashboard, OR leaders were able to see that they were below the benchmark for scheduling accuracy. "We were not doing a…

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Responding to numerous questions, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has revised its interpretive guidelines for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) to clarify that the history and physical (H&P) may be performed on the same day as the surgical procedure and may be performed in the ASC. The clarification…

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Advances in technology have led to shorter patient stays, improved outcomes, and the feasibility of performing more procedures on an outpatient basis. That means ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) need to continually reevaluate their procedure mix to be sure they are not missing out on potential business. Though taking on new…

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Bacterial contamination is common on the hands of anesthesia providers, with high rates of transmission to the surgical field, a new study finds. "As anesthesiologists, we like to think the surgical drapes protect the patient from tens of trillions of microorganisms that are in and on our bodies. Nope!" says…

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