Meaningful use: What it means for ORs
Meaningful use is a much-used term in the push for electronic health records (EHRs). Eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals, and physicians can earn federal incentives for adopting and demonstrating "meaningful use" of certified EHR technology (sidebar). Your hospital's meaningful use discussions may be taking place away from the OR. But…
Benchmarking the OR's key indicators
Surgeons at St Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut, were frustrated because the scheduled start times for their cases during the day seemed to vary a lot. Using their new dashboard, OR leaders were able to see that they were below the benchmark for scheduling accuracy. "We were not doing a…
OR dashboards: A useful tool for telling a story through data
Word has traveled to the executive suite that a high percentage of the OR's cases are starting late. There are also rumors of 1½ hour turnover times. As the manager, you know these don't reflect the OR's actual performance. How can you demonstrate that? One option is a dashboard that…
Data sparks on-time improvements
As with most busy ORs, we were looking to improve our efficiency. Consultants were brought in and gave recommendations, but it did not change our culture or improve our on-time starts. We had meetings with anesthesia providers, surgeons, and nurses. The results were differing opinions on the definition of an…
Why are case-time estimates so often off?
You've no doubt worked hard on turnover time and on-time starts to improve your OR's performance. But there's a factor you may be overlooking—the accuracy of your case-duration estimates. These estimates have a big impact. Underestimate case times, and cases run over. Then subsequent cases either start late, or you…
Dashboards can help ASC stay in the black
The coming year may prove to be one of the most important in the life of your ambulatory surgery center (ASC). You will begin to see the effects of Medicare's revised ASC payment system and will want to monitor closely exactly how the new rule financially affects your ASC. Use…
Getting good data to guide decisions
Do you judge your reports by the pound? Many OR leaders aren't lacking for data—they often receive stacks of reports every month. But they may lack good information, a plight some call DRIP—data rich but information poor. How can leaders avoid DRIP and get useful reports to guide decision making?…
Telling a story with supply cost data
How do you use your computerized reports on surgical supplies? Of course, you use them to monitor your usage and pricing. But there's more these reports can do—they can tell you a story that may help you reduce costs and manage inventory more efficiently. By marrying supply data with physicians'…
Data on implant costs wins MD support
When 2 of its hospitals came close to shutting down their total joint replacement programs because of rising costs, a Midwestern health care system knew it needed to take a new approach to orthopedic implant purchasing. The system tried demand matching several years ago, but the project felt flat. In…
Upgrading software? Developing the RFP
Selecting the right software for your perioperative services department is one of the most important decisions a manager makes. The software used to manage perioperative services is critical because the OR drives the hospital's inpatient capacity as well as the revenue and margin. The software must enable the OR manager…
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