How A Periodic Evaluation Of Your Consigned Inventory Can Save Your Hospital Millions

October 12, 2021 / Big Data, Cath Lab, Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Operating Rooms, Radiology, Supply Chain, The Business of Surgery, Tissue Management /

There are many reasons why hospitals choose to consign the expensive implants and supplies that they use in surgical settings. However, deciding to consign a product without continuously analyzing that decision can be costing your hospital millions of dollars each year. Read on to find out some best practices when it comes to reducing the […]

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Caught In The Act: Can You Stop Dirty Scopes From Being Stored With Your Clean Scopes?

June 28, 2018 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? Your hospital has a great set of processes and protocols in place when it comes to reprocessing your flexible endoscopes. You even have a great system for logging clean scopes in and out of your scope storage areas. You believe that your staff are properly trained, re-certified and

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Study Shows Bronchoscopes Still Dirty After Reprocessing

June 20, 2018 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

A new study has shown that flexible bronchoscopes that were reprocessed according to institutional standards at several US hospitals were still found to be dirty in a majority of the cases. The study was presented at the 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) Conference. The study on bronchoscopes now joins other recent studies

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The 4 Steps Of An Endoscope Risk Assessment

October 12, 2021 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Flexible endoscopes continue to make headlines due to the risk of infection stemming from their use on patients. Many hospitals find themselves in the unenviable position of determining how they can perform critical endoscope-based procedures while minimizing the risk of infection. There is ample evidence showing that endoscopes can spread life-threatening illnesses when not properly

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Infection Rates From Colonoscopies Greatly Exceed Prior Estimates

June 7, 2018 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

A recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins reveals that colonoscopies performed at ambulatory surgery centers lead to post-procedure infection rates that greatly surpass previous estimates. The study, sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, studied the results of colonoscopies and upper-GI endoscopies (EGDs) performed

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How One Health System Negotiated Its Way To $1.5 Million In Annual Savings On Ortho Implants

May 31, 2018 / Big Data, Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency, Supply Chain, The Business of Surgery /

HonorHealth, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based health system with over $1.7 billion in annual revenues, recently undertook a process to identify cost savings opportunities across the system. Early on, the joint-replacement service line jumped out as a prime candidate for cost savings. An early analysis by the five hospital system and their group purchasing organization pointed out

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Expensive Medical Supplies Stolen From Hospitals

October 12, 2021 / Cath Lab, Hospital Finance, Operating Rooms, Radiology, Supply Chain, The Business of Surgery /

A medical supply rep from Maryland was recently charged in the theft of expensive medical kits from area hospitals that he later sold on eBay.  Each of the medical kits were sold for approximately $33,000 each, netting the man nearly $200,000. As this article from The Washington Post explains: “Burke Slater, 52, of Gaithersburg, was

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Medical Device Recalls Reach Historic Highs In 2018

May 15, 2018 / Cath Lab, Clinical Documentation, Hospital Management, Infection Control, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency, Patient Safety, Radiology, Regulatory Compliance, Supply Chain, The Business of Surgery /

The first quarter of 2018 included 343 medical device recalls by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This was the highest for a first calendar quarter of any year on record and was up 126% from 2017. Experts point to the proliferation of software on medical devices as a primary driver for the record

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ASGE Releases New Infection Control Guidelines For Endoscopy

October 6, 2021 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recently released guidelines for infection control during GI endoscopy and related procedures. The guidelines come at a time when reports of endoscope-related infections are becoming more prevalent in the media. While the overall incidences of such infections are rarely reported, there is a strong possibility of underreporting of adverse

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FDA Issues Warning On Multi-Patient Endoscope Connectors

May 2, 2018 / Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a public alert that warned about the risk of cross-contamination from the use of certain endoscope connectors commonly seen in gastrointestinal endoscopy. The alert primarily points out the risks associated with the use of 24-hour multi-patient use endoscope connectors that are labeled for use with multiple

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