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Joint Commission targets fatigue from clinicians' extended hours
In a new alert, the Joint Commission adds its voice to calls to curb fatigue from extended work days and work hours. The alert highlights evidence linking fatigue to adverse events and outlines actions organizations can take to mitigate fatigue, especially among nurses and physicians. The commission says the alert…
What trends are driving hospital-MD alignment?
Hospitals have aggressive cost reduction goals coupled with more quality incentives. “In the past, we would hear of goals in the millions of dollars,” says Lani Berman, MPH, MBA, senior vice president, performance services for VHA Inc. Today, she says goals are often in the hundreds of millions, especially for…
Shared savings don't jeopardize patient outcomes
A 4-year study shows patient outcomes didn’t change significantly when hospitals and physicians joined in a pay-for-performance (P4P) program for 8 types of surgery. The researchers say this is one of the first studies of P4P to look at patient outcomes. The project used a gainsharing model in which 3…
Blood management: Reducing blood use reduces risks and lowers costs
It’s common for physicians to order 2 units of blood. But with growing awareness of the hazards of transfusions, hospitals are adopting stricter measures to manage their blood supplies, including developing guidelines for transfusions and making sure physicians are compliant. Over the past 5 years, research has shown that transfusions…
What’s needed for reprocessing, storage of laryngoscope blades?
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 12; December 2011 An occasional column on Joint Commission issues. The reprocessing and storage of laryngoscope blades has been a hot button for Joint Commission surveyors, and OR managers have been asking how they can comply with the expectations. In answer, the Joint Commission on…
ASCs get pay hike, reprieve on quality reporting
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 12; December 2011 On November 1, 2011, in posting the final 2012 outpatient payment rule, Medicare gave the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry a reprieve in its quality reporting deadline and an unexpected pay hike. While industry experts are pleased with what they see as…
Changing behavior to boost OR’s productivity
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 12; December 2011 Making inroads on on-time first-case starts and turnover time means process changes, of course. But changes won’t take root without a change in behavior. Cincinnati-based Tri-Health attributes the progress it has made to improved accountability by all levels of personnel, from front-line…
CMS overturns its rule on advance patient notice
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 12; December 2011 In a sudden and welcome move, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) has not merely relaxed its rule on informing patients of their rights in advance of surgery; it has overturned it. On October 7, 2011, Health and Human Services…
Cost management for ORs moves from minor to the major leagues
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 12; December 2011 If your household had to cut expenses by 7% to 8% and then hold the line for 10 years, how would you adjust? That’s the situation hospitals face as they cope with cuts in Medicare and Medicaid payments and rising numbers of…
Hospitals prepare for SSI reporting as part of trend toward transparency
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 12; December 2011 Do you know your hospital’s surgical site infection (SSI) rate for colon surgery and abdominal hysterectomy? Hospitals must start reporting their SSI rates for these 2 procedures on January 1, 2012, to receive their full Medicare payment update in 2014. The list…
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