OR Business
High labor expenses? Better staffing and scheduling can cut costs
OR Business Performance is a series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business. The OR labor budget usually takes a back seat to supplies and equipment. But labor costs can still create significant spending problems. Many hospital surgery departments use nursing full-time equivalents…
Editorial
Data on inpatient and outpatient hospital charges released in May and June by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have fueled the fire started in March with Steven Brill’s Time magazine cover story, “Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us.” Brill cited sometimes staggering amounts charged for…
Collaborate with surgeons and vendors to control high-end supply costs
OR Business Performance is a series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business. Surgical supplies are a major component of OR expenses. In the July issue of OR Manager, we showed how controlling spending on low- and mid-priced supplies can reduce overall costs.…
Diligence in coding and charge capture will help prevent revenue loss
With the evolving nature of health care regulations, accurately capturing revenue can be a challenging process for all hospitals. At the OR Business Managers Workshop in April, key concepts about hospital billing, coding, and reimbursement were clarified by revenue expert Keith Siddel, JD, MBA, an attorney with HBL Concepts LLC,…
Can your OR documentation stand up to a RAC audit?
A column on managing the OR revenue cycle. Audits of Medicare payments to hospitals are up dramatically. In all, 89% of hospitals reported activity by recovery audit contractors (RACs) in the third quarter of 2012, according to an American Hospital Association (AHA) survey. Here are tips on how your OR…
Taking small steps to control supply costs yields a much better bottom line
OR Business Performance is a series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business. Surgical supplies are a major cost category for hospital ORs. Depending on the specialty and the procedure, supplies may represent 50% or more of total costs per case. Unfortunately, new…
Surgical growth hinges on good service line information
OR Business Performance is a series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business. Does your hospital’s CEO expect you to grow surgical volume in the upcoming fiscal year? Hospitals have always depended on surgical services to drive revenue and profit. Today, in the…
The right strategies can help increase OR utilization
OR Business Performance is a series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business. How do you improve an OR’s financial performance? Last month’s column focused on two key strategies: using data to identify improvement opportunities and rallying support for organizational change. These strategies…
Better business performance is a critical competency
OR Business Performance is a new series intended to help OR managers and directors improve the success of their business. Imagine that you were recently hired as director of perioperative services at a 450-bed hospital with 18 operating rooms. Now, 6 months into your tenure, it’s time for your…
'Destination surgery': Metrics drive patients to centers with better care
Perioperative managers and staffs are collecting data on a growing list of metrics on surgical quality—antibiotic prophylaxis, venous thromboembolism prevention, normothermia, and more. Now these and other metrics are coming into play as big companies like Walmart, Lowe’s, and Pepsico seek the best value for their insured employees, especially those…
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