In this issue...
August 2008 Vol. 4 No. 8
Inside the revised universal protocol
A recent wrong-side surgery in a well-known teaching hospital in Boston is a lesson for all perioperative professionals to recognize that wrong-site surgery can happen anywhere to any one.
The changing legal environment of healthcare-associated infection
With pay-for-performance on the horizon, there is an increased focus on preventing healthcare-associated infections. That shift in healthcare reimbursement could bring about an increase in claims and malpractice suits.
An Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) showed that employers are spending nearly $1.5 billion a year on potentially preventable surgical errors. Also in this issue, the American Nurses Association (ANA) board of directors approves new documentation to standardize the regulatory process for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and an information technology survey shows the top-10 healthcare IT initiatives.
ASC News
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in July released its proposed ambulatory surgery center (ASC) payment rates for 2009. Under the updated regulation, CMS rates for ASCs would be 65% of the hospital outpatient rates. Also in this issue, the Nevada Bureau of Licensure and Certification has filled 13 of 14 vacancies since news of a widespread hepatitis C outbreak rocked the state in March.
Manager's Soapbox: Peter Angood, MD, FRCS(C), FACS, FCCM
Despite widespread educational campaigns and in-depth policies and procedures instituted at facilities across the United States to encourage compliance with the Universal Protocol, wrong-site surgeries remain the most commonly reported sentinel event for the past three years. Why?
A recent wrong-side surgery in a well-known teaching hospital in Boston is a lesson for all perioperative professionals to recognize that wrong-site surgery can happen anywhere to any one.
The changing legal environment of healthcare-associated infection
With pay-for-performance on the horizon, there is an increased focus on preventing healthcare-associated infections. That shift in healthcare reimbursement could bring about an increase in claims and malpractice suits.
Leadership's role in patient safety
Though increased technology and improved procedures help to improve patient safety, it is only through effective leadership that those goals will become a reality.
Introducing the Perioperative News Minute
Searching for news that keeps up with your on-the-go lifestyle? How about a quick synopsis of the week's news as it pertains to perioperative professionals nationwide? If you like your perioperative news to be as dynamic as you, look no farther than the Perioperative News Minute.
An Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) showed that employers are spending nearly $1.5 billion a year on potentially preventable surgical errors. Also in this issue, the American Nurses Association (ANA) board of directors approves new documentation to standardize the regulatory process for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and an information technology survey shows the top-10 healthcare IT initiatives.
ASC News
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in July released its proposed ambulatory surgery center (ASC) payment rates for 2009. Under the updated regulation, CMS rates for ASCs would be 65% of the hospital outpatient rates. Also in this issue, the Nevada Bureau of Licensure and Certification has filled 13 of 14 vacancies since news of a widespread hepatitis C outbreak rocked the state in March.
Manager's Soapbox: Peter Angood, MD, FRCS(C), FACS, FCCM
Despite widespread educational campaigns and in-depth policies and procedures instituted at facilities across the United States to encourage compliance with the Universal Protocol, wrong-site surgeries remain the most commonly reported sentinel event for the past three years. Why?