The best way to mitigate risk is to catch it before it happens. That’s the whole idea behind standardizing a surgical checklist — providing constant confirmation to safely ensure the patient’s care....

Jesse Hixson, MSN, RN, CNOR, administrator for the Monroeville (Pa.) Surgery Center, expected orthopedic and cataract surgeons to be extremely discerning and opinionated about the surgical gloves they used....

Even though some minor heart procedures have been taking place in outpatient settings for years, performing more complex same-day cardiovascular interventions is very much in its infancy....

Every profession has its own secret language, but it’s safe to say our workplace jargon is in a class of its own. We have a storied history of mnemonics, acronyms and devices to recall information on a dime....

The old adage, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail,” feels like it was written specifically for the surgical experience. Whether patients are choosing an elective surgery or in need of emergent surgery...

Accreditation is a crucial element of a successful ASC. It positions a new facility to receive Medicare funding in months, compared to potentially waiting for a year or more to receive certification from your...

It has happened to me throughout my entire career. I’d walk into a different department to see a patient before surgery and be mistaken for a housekeeper, transporter or dietary staff member....

When a number I didn’t recognize lit up my phone’s screen and interrupted the classic Stone Temple Pilots Unplugged concert that had been getting me through yet another dreary November day...

Amy Avila, RN, CCRN, CSC, has a simple suggestion that can help perioperative healthcare workers decompress: Get a little artistic, even if you’re not a natural....

Want a simple way to make sure your staff recycles more? Make sure cans are easily accessible and visible. Knoxville (Tenn.) Orthopaedic Surgery Center utilizes recycling trash cans in its staff lounges...

If your staff always finds itself in need of an open outlet that never seems to exist, here’s a simple fix: Power strips that can be mounted to IV poles, mobile carts and modular workstations...

The staff at Seven Hills ASC & Cath Lab in Henderson, Nev., developed a simple yet effective way to remind their catheter lab patients who...

In 2021, more than 4,000 cases were performed in the ORs at WellSpan Health Apple Hill Surgical Center in York, Pa., and the facility’s nurses and OR assistants pulled numerous individual supplies...

Patients undergoing even short surgical procedures can have inadvertent changes in body temperature that can cause hypothermia....

Like many high-volume ASCs emerging from the pandemic’s depths, Ohio Gastroenterology Group had a phone call problem … as in, way more than its staff and physicians could handle....

Infection prevention procedures have always been a key focus during on-site inspections, and their importance has only intensified since the pandemic began in 2020. Here’s what surveyors will be looking for...

Airway management is one of the most important skills any anesthesia provider should master for one very good reason: Complications from difficult airways and poor management of those airways, though rare, can be life-threatening....

Flexible endoscope care is a complex, multilayered process rife with opportunities for errors and missed steps....

When RaDonda Vaught was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide for a fatal medication error that she self-reported, the ruling sent shockwaves across the medical community and left nurses fearful the criminalization of medical mistakes could...

For the past decade, I’ve written my column on resolutions I planned to make in the New Year, the many well-intentioned goals I can never seem to keep. But this year I thought I’d try something different....