Salaries for ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders are down slightly, according to the OR Manager 2019 Salary/Career Survey, with slightly more than half of respondents (52%) earning $100,000 or more—a decline from 60% in 2018, 54% in 2017, and 53% in 2016. That dip may be contributing to corresponding lower…

Read More

Staffing headaches for OR managers continue, according to the 2019 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey, with more than a third of respondents reporting that the percentage of open positions compared with 12 months ago has increased for both RNs and surgical technologists (STs). The clock has to be turned back…

Read More

Staffing remains a significant challenge for many leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), according to the 2019 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Nearly a third (32%) of respondents reported more open RN positions, significantly higher than the 26% in 2018; over the past 5 years, only 2016 had a higher…

Read More

Editor's Note Though the annual volume of gastroenterology and gastrointestinal (GI) advanced laparoscopic abdominal surgical procedures is three-fold higher for US News & World Report’s top-ranked hospitals, the volume does not appear to be associated with improved patient outcomes, this study finds. In this analysis of 51,869 abdominal procedures, the…

Read More

In the past few months, the Joint Commission has implemented a new process for accreditation surveys and changed the wording and interpretation of some standards, particularly infection control. At the 2018 OR Manager Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in September, John R. Rosing, MHA, FACHE, executive vice president and principal of…

Read More

Editor's Note The Leapfrog Group announced October 16 that it would expand its public reporting to outpatient settings. For the first time, Leapfrog will collect quality and safety data on ambulatory surgery centers through a new voluntary survey, and hospital outpatient surgery departments will report data through a new section…

Read More

A steady stream of changes and upheaval, ranging from increased use of bundled payments for reimbursement to the pressure of filling open positions with qualified staff, are affecting OR managers’ ability to be successful. Despite the challenges, more than two-thirds (67%) are satisfied with their jobs or positions, according to…

Read More

Leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are less satisfied than they were a year ago, according to the OR Manager 2018 Salary/Career Survey. In 2017, 83% were satisfied with their current job or position, compared with 77% this year. Other areas where satisfaction dipped by five percentage points or more…

Read More

The good news/bad news for OR leaders from the 2018 annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey: Surgical volume continues to increase for many hospitals, but staff turnover and recruitment difficulties remain, creating challenges in meeting that increased volume. Another ongoing challenge is reimbursement changes; more than half of respondents report bundled…

Read More

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…

Read More