Uncategorized OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 11; November 2011 Would receiving a single payment for procedures like total hip and knee replacement bring hospitals and surgeons into closer alignment? Would care be delivered in a more coordinated manner with higher quality and greater cost-effectiveness? It’s the way more Medicare reimbursement may…
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 11; November 2011 In this age of data and measurement, we may not think of compassionate care as something that can be measured. It’s an intangible yet critical aspect of care and healing. With the intense focus on austerity, tight reimbursement, and managing costs, there’s…
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 11; November 2011 • NOVEMBER 2011 Editor’s Note OR leaders are striving to make evidence-based decisions about new technology. OR Manager, Inc, and ECRI Institute have joined in a collaboration to bring quarterly supplements with summaries of the Institute’s Emerging Technology Evidence Reports to OR…
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 11; November 2011 A new high-throughput OR pod at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston is designed to expedite patient flow and make the most of the OR’s resources during regular weekday house. The 4-OR pod with 13 perianesthesia bays is part of a 28-OR…
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 11; November 2011 Home washing machines may not always use hot enough water to eliminate bacteria like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Acinetobacter from hospital uniforms, according to a study in the November 2011 Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Researchers in the UK tested nurses’…
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 10; October 2011 How well hospitals perform on SCIP measures will affect part of their Medicare payment starting in late 2012. Yet a new study is the fourth to find that the SCIP infection measures aren’t correlated with surgical site infection (SSI) rates. In the…
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 10; October 2011 Impact on ASCs of economic conditions ASCs that have experienced financial difficulties due to current economic conditions Financial difficulties these ASCs have experienced: Financial challenges continue to buffet ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), according to the 21st annual OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Almost…
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 10; October 2011 Respondents to hospital survey Region Response Northeast 17% Midwest 39% South 26% West 19% OR directors and managers are striving to stay ahead of a weak economy, according to this year’s OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Much has changed in the past 10…
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 10; October 2011 More than 60% of uniforms worn by physicians and nurses tested positive for potentially pathogenic bacteria, including drug-resistant organisms, in a new study from Israel. The team of researchers collected swab samples from 3 parts of the uniforms of 75 RNs and…
OR Manager; Vol. 27 No. 10; October 2011 Stiff economic headwinds are challenging ambulatory surgery centers (ASC). Among them are stubbornly high unemployment, higher copays and deductibles, and fewer independent physicians. After strong growth, the number of new ASCs opening is nearly zero for 2011. Brian Mathis, vice president of…
