The Business of Surgery 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…
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…
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.…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Preparing patients for surgery at Cullman Regional Medical Center in Cullman, Alabama, used to take about 200 phone calls a day. Here’s a typical scenario: The OR is ready for the next patient. The OR calls the same-day surgery unit and asks if the patient is ready. Same-day surgery says…
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…
