Orthopedic bundled payment models on the fast track--Part 1
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is poised to launch Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced on October 1, 2018, and is continuing its Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) bundled payment model for total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA, TKA). “Orthopedics is the most important service…
Editorial
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 12 issued a proposed rule with potential changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on or after January 1, 2019. According to CMS, the changes would increase the time available for physicians and other clinicians to spend with their patients…
Aiming high nets 'wins' for OR Manager of the Year
High patient satisfaction scores and excellent multidisciplinary teamwork are the hallmarks of a well-managed surgical services department, and Sharon Udy-Janczuk, MSN, RN, CNOR, NE-BC, the 2018 OR Manager of the Year, has bragging rights to both. By cross-training staff in the presurgical care area, OR, and postanesthesia care unit (PACU),…
Munro Scale research supports streamlining risk levels
The Munro Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment Scale for Perioperative Patients© (Munro Scale) has made great strides in the past year. The tool, which assesses patients’ risk levels at each phase of surgery (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative), is available from AORN. Cassendra Munro, MSN, RN, CNOR, developed the Munro Scale and…
Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for 2018
As healthcare strives to become an industry of high-reliability organizations, identifying problems proactively is key. ECRI Institute’s annual Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations list highlights looming patient safety challenges and offers resources for addressing them. In selecting this year’s list, ECRI Institute relied on data regarding events…
Validate and verify medical devices to ensure safety
Sometimes surgeons ask to have nonmedical devices sterilized, such as spoons, hockey pucks, and fish hooks. Healthcare staff may want to accommodate their requests, but there are times when they cannot do so. A central service (CS) should only sterilize medical devices that have undergone validation testing, which demonstrates that…
ASC workforce stable amid rise in cases
Surgical volume in the past year increased for 40% of respondents to the 2018 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey, down slightly from the 48% reported in 2017. This result is intriguing in light of the proliferation of procedures now being performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Does this suggest some…
How do you handle social determinants?
Social and demographic factors play a huge role in any patient’s overall health and recovery from surgery. When treating patients who lack health insurance, family support, or language/literacy skills—among many other possible disadvantages—providing safe patient care can extend well beyond clinical aspects. OR managers and their staffs may take on…
Free Daily News
- FDA issues Class I alert for Abiomed Impella heart device over cybersecurity risks
- Study finds Medicare paid nearly $2 billion for unnecessary back surgeries
- FDA accelerates medical device safety alerts to reach public within days
- California’s worsening nurse shortage fuels burnout, safety concerns amid management tensions
- AI is turning medical devices into learning systems, Google Cloud exec says
- Tray-based setups cut OR waste, setup time while boosting workflow satisfaction
- OR Manager Conference delivers ready-to-use solutions for perioperative leaders
- The Joint Commission set to spotlight hospitals’ strengths with new SAFEST initiative
- FDA has begun requiring electronic De Novo submissions for new medical devices
- Spine surgeon shortage deepens as consolidation, site shifts reshape ASC markets
Career Center
- Administrative Director of Perioperative Services - The University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston, TX
- Registered Nurse - Brooks Rehab - , Florida
- Vascular Surgeon - Western Vascular Institute - Mesa, AZ
- Interventional Spine Specialist - Lahey Hospital and Medical Center - Beth Israel Lahey Health - Burlington, MA