Here’s a tip of the scrub cap to the best of the best in surgery. The winners of our 6th annual celebration of surgical excellence shine at reducing surgical site infections, ensuring staff and patient safety, controlling post-op pain, managing finances and, new this year, protecting the environment. We look forward to celebrating their successes during an awards luncheon at next month’s OR Excellence conference in New Orleans (orexcellence.com).

Check out the following pages for the recipients’ success stories:

• Making infection control part of a facility’s culture.
• Safeguarding patients before they enter the OR.
• The secrets to spoiling staff and patients alike.
• Breaking down the barriers to smoke evacuator use.
• Attacking surgical pain along its many pathways.
• Realizing the added rewards of going green.

We realize the winners represent the incredible achievements occurring daily in countless facilities across the country, including yours. It’s not always easy to strive for excellence, and to manage staff, patients and surgeons while making complex cases appear routine. So while saluting this year’s winners, we also extend our appreciation for your efforts and dedication to your patients, staff and facilities. We recognize all you do to ensure surgeries are performed safely, efficiently and cost-effectively, and hope to honor your facility next year.

Financial Management p. 28
Lisa Rochon, RN
Camp Lowell Surgery Center
Tucson, Ariz.

Patient Safety p. 32
Carol Fairchild, RN, BS, CASC
Crane Center for Ambulatory Surgery
Pittsfield, Mass.

Staff Safety p. 35
Terri Foster, BSN, RN, CNOR
Allegiance Health
Jackson, Mich.

Pain Management p. 38
Derick Mundey, DO
Riddle Surgery Center
Media, Pa.

Patient & Staff Satisfaction p. 42
Judy Harless, MBA, CASC
SMI Surgery Center
San Diego, Calif.

Infection Control p. 46
Molly Wright, RN
Tri-State Memorial Hospital
Clarkston, Wash.

Environmental Stewardship p. 50
Joyce Stengel, MSN, RN, CNOR
SurgiCentre at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.