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Is your same-day surgery program short on nurses? Start recruiting from the ED

The nursing shortage continues there was an RN vacancy rate of 8.4% at hospitals in 2003 and theres no relief in sight. Thus, managers are getting creative in their hiring, and theyre finding that emergency department (ED) nurses have skills that adapt well to outpatient surgery performed in hospitals and freestanding centers.

Consider these areas before outsourcing billing

In this first part of a two-part series on outsourcing your coding, billing, and collections, we discuss how to determine whether to outsource. In next months issue, we provide billing benchmarks and tips on how to get paid by insurance companies.

Save $15,000 with these cost-efficiency ideas

In this first part of a two-part series on cost savings in ambulatory surgery, we discuss how to save money in administrative support, benefits, salaries, and services. In next months issue, well discuss telecommunications and occupancy costs

Lap hernia repair results in more recurrence than open

Less pain. Quicker recovery. These are the two reasons minimally invasive surgery has been touted as an improvement over traditional surgery. However, minimally invasive surgery is not always the best choice for a positive long-term outcome in hernia repair, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Tentatively OK’d: Hand gel dispensers in hallways

The Quincy, MA-based National Fire Protection Association has approved a tentative interim amendment to the 2000 and 2003 Life Safety Code to allow health care facilities to install alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers in corridors and other public areas.

Should ASCs be cited for non-list procedures?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a memo directing Medicare certification surveyors to confirm that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are not performing non-ASC list procedures on Medicare beneficiaries, but we think CMS is totally incorrect, says Kathy Bryant, executive vice president of the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (FASA) in Alexandria, VA. Bryant updated ASCs on Medicare issues at the recent annual FASA meeting.

Joint statement addresses propofol administration

The American Society of Anesthesiologists and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists have developed a joint statement regarding propofol administration that says when propofol is used for sedation/anesthesia, it should be administered only by persons who are trained in the administration of general anesthesia and who are not simultaneously involved in surgical or diagnostic procedures.

HIPAA Q&A

This column addresses specific questions related to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) implementation. How should you handle discarded computers?

SDS Accreditation Update: Accreditation can help meet regulatory requirements

State licensure regulations, Medicare regulations, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements, and accreditation survey preparation can make some same-day surgery managers feel as if most of their job is compliance oversight.

SDS Accreditation Update: Recent legislation affects SDS programs

Staying on top of legislative and regulatory rules that affect their operations is a constant challenge for same-day surgery managers. One way managers can keep abreast of changes is through regulatory and legislative updates posted on the web site of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) in Wilmette, IL.

SDS Accreditation Update: Unannounced surveys begin for some SDS programs

Patti Moore, RN, director of River View Surgery Center in Lancaster, OH, perused with interest the January 2004 newsletter produced by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which included a description of tracer methodology. Ten days later, her surgery center became the nations first freestanding ambulatory surgery center to undergo an unannounced survey conducted to test the unannounced process and the tracer methodology.

SDS Accreditation Update: Patient safety issues are the primary focus

Managers report patient safety goals are the primary focus of surveyors this year, says Lorri G. Smith, RN, BSN, director of clinical services accreditation specialist for AmSurg, a Nashville-based national company that manages or owns more than 120 single-specialty surgery centers.

Patient Safety Alert supplement

Same-Day Surgery – July 1, 2004

July 1, 2004