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October 2013 See the full issue

Stable pattern marks this year's salary survey, but retirement looms

OR directors and managers in hospitals are experiencing stability in their income and in patient volume, according to the 23rd annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Average annual salary in 2013 was $120,000, unchanged from 2012. The average annual raise increased slightly, from 2.8% last year to 3.3% in 2013, but…

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By: OR Manager
October 1, 2013
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Surgical liaisons: The bridge between the OR and family members

Surgery is a stressful time not only for patients but also for their families. Using a surgical liaison to communicate the status of an operation to those in the waiting area has boosted the satisfaction of patients, families, and surgeons, say perioperative directors whose hospitals have these positions. The liaison…

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By: OR Manager
October 1, 2013
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Editorial

Despite increasingly stiff penalties, health care-associated infections persist. Total annual costs for the 5 major health care-associated infections are $9.8 billion, say researchers led by Eyal Zimlichman, MD, of the Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. Surgical site infections rack up about…

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By: OR Manager
October 1, 2013
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Robotic surgery complications underreported

Robotic surgery has been widely adopted by hospitals during the past decade, but its safety is still unclear because of a haphazard system for reporting complications, Johns Hopkins researchers say. A new study led by Martin Makary, MD, finds that of 1 million robotic procedures performed since 2000, only 245…

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By: OR Manager
October 1, 2013
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Increased patient safety, cost savings head list of overall accomplishments

In response to an open-ended question about what they considered their greatest accomplishments of the past year, OR directors and managers cited numerous examples. Their answers have been grouped into the categories listed below, which are arranged roughly according to how often most survey respondents cited advances in these categories.…

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By: OR Manager
October 1, 2013
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Comprehensive dashboards paint a fuller picture of OR performance

OR Business Performance is a series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business.   Data-rich dashboards are an effective way to communicate with surgeons and align them with OR goals, but many reporting strategies have not kept pace with changes in the surgery market.…

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By: OR Manager
October 1, 2013
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Survey suggests signs of improvement in ASC environment

Surgical volume is stable or increasing in nearly two-thirds of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), according to the 23rd annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than two-thirds (68%) of survey respondents also report that their ASCs have not experienced financial difficulties as a result of current economic conditions. These results may…

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By: OR Manager
October 1, 2013
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ASCs seek efficiencies to offset decline in reimbursement

About 70% of respondents to a nationwide survey of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) say they are trying to cut costs in reaction to changes brought about by healthcare reform. That’s the major finding of a nationwide survey of 359 administrators, directors, and office managers in ASCs, cancer centers, home health…

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By: OR Manager
October 1, 2013
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New quality measures, tight deadline mark CMS payment rule for ASCs

It sounds like déjà vu all over again, as Yogi Berra used to say. That is likely to be the first reaction of many ambulatory surgery center (ASC) administrators to the Calendar Year 2014 Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Proposed Rule.   Pay formula unchanged Medicare payment updates would continue at…

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By: OR Manager
October 1, 2013
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