Effect of interruptions in Medicare patient treatment during COVID-19 on physicians, practices
Editor's Note This study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that practice interruptions in the treatment of Medicare patients spiked in April 2020, and interruption-without-return rates were larger for older physicians. In this analysis of 547,849 physicians billing Medicare: Practice…
Survey: Dips in job satisfaction, engagement may relate to pandemic
Over the past year, job satisfaction of OR leaders as well as staff and physician engagement have all eroded, according to the 2021 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey.Although more than two-thirds (67%) of respondents rate their current jobs or positions favorably, that is down from the 77% seen in 2020 and…
Retaining nurses in a post-pandemic era--Part 2
Even as vaccination rates rise, COVID-19 continues its grip on the healthcare system and nurses are feeling the consequences, including staffing challenges that have prompted a renewed focus on retention. Scars left by the pandemic will complicate retention efforts. “The pandemic has made things much worse, not only for the…
OR Manager of the Year shows leadership in smart policy
Mary Anne Douglas, MS, RN, CNOR, the 2021 OR Manager of the Year, has a daily routine: she spends about 15 to 20 minutes every morning catching up on pandemic- and healthcare-related news that might help her stay dynamic and innovative in her field. Evidence of her inspired work is…
How might telehealth alter approaches to surgical patient care?
Telehealth services grew exponentially in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall telehealth utilization for office visits and outpatient care was 78 times higher in April 2020 than in February 2020, according to a McKinsey & Company July 2021 report. Since then, telehealth utilization has stabilized at levels that…
Act now to address predicted gaps in anesthesiology coverage
Perioperative services leaders have their hands full with a range of pressing issues, from the return of elective case cancellations to new struggles with staff turnover. However, an even bigger problem is flying under the radar for many hospitals—impending changes in the market for anesthesiology services. Several factors are coming…
Survey: Most ASC leaders plan to stay the course after pandemic
Consistency is the word that comes to mind when reviewing results from the 2021 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) reported that salary, satisfaction, and the number of employees supervised were comparable to metrics reported in 2020. The good news is that…
Widening of racial, socioeconomic healthcare gap for organ transplant patients during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, finds that although COVID-19’s effect on access to liver transplantation has been all-pervasive, minorities have been disproportionately affected—especially those with public insurance. During the initial wave of COVID-19, organ transplantation was classified as a…
Association of MeNTS scores with surgical outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic
Editor's Note In this study from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, researchers find that Medically Necessary, Time-Sensitive (MeNTS) scores used for elective surgical prioritization during the COVID-19 pandemic have low discriminating power in distinguishing patients with moderate or severe postoperative complications. In this analysis, 223 patients were classified according to:…
ACS raises awareness about surgeon suicide
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on September 10 announced that through its Surgeon Well-Being program, it is striving to build awareness about surgeon suicide during September, which is National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month. ACS is emphasizing Physician Suicide Awareness Day, September 17, in order to destigmatize…
