Same-Day Surgery – October 1, 2005
October 1, 2005
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Guns & generators: Surgery programs handle Hurricane Katrina’s devastation
In all of your disaster planning, did you imagine that you might have to climb onto the roof in the middle of a hurricane to ensure water drains away and doesnt collapse the roof? -
After the storm passes, what do you do next?
As Hurricane Katrina subsided in Covington, LA, Fairway Medical Center, a surgical specialty hospital, discovered it was without normal power, water, and sewer. There was no normal external communications through phones, including cellular phones, and there was limited radio and television. -
Hurricane provides valuable lessons
When Hurricane Katrina struck Fairway Medical Center in Covington, LA, Kory Krista, director of plant operations, learned one lesson the hard way: Have wet vacs at designated areas in the facility connected to critical power to remove water. -
Post-Katrina, surgery centers go to the rescue
Like many people after Hurricane Katrina, the staff members at HealthSouth St. Augustine (FL) Surgery Center were feeling devastated and helpless. -
PI studies that reflect problems more credible
Want to impress your accreditation surveyor? Want to make sure you meet standards associated with performance improvement? -
Good studies take all shapes and sizes
The key to having a performance improvement (PI) study that will demonstrate your commitment to an accreditation surveyor is to be certain the study is measurable and applicable to your program, as well as realistic, says Betty Bozutto, RN, MBA, CASC, executive director of Naugatuck Valley Surgical Center in Waterbury, CT. -
10 warning signs your facility may not make it
We can predict much in life now. The health care industry has diagnostic tools to detect many forms of cancer, heart disease, and other life-threatening illnesses. Meteorologists can chart a mass of low pressure off the coast of Africa and reasonably predict when it will strike Florida. -
NY panel to target the safety of office surgery
Following several recent adverse events, a special advisory panel is being brought together again in New York to recommend more ways to improve safety and outcomes in office-based surgery. -
Alcohol-based skin preps receive NFPA approval
The National Fire Protection Association has approved a change to its regulation allowing hospitals and surgery centers to use alcohol-based skin preps during all procedures, including those involving cautery or electrosurgery, as long as providers follow the amended regulation. -
SDS Accreditation Update: Improve patient safety with updated H&Ps, clean handoffs
Are your history and physicals (H&Ps) updated and documented within 24 hours of the procedure? Is communication clear when you are handing off patients from one area to another, such as from the OR to post-op? If not, and you work at a hospital or freestanding surgery center, you are violating requirements from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. -
SDS Accreditation Update: More info is best when handing off patients
When reviewing your handoff communication process, dont just focus on the handoff between clinical areas such as the operating room and the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). -
SDS Accreditation Update: CMS releases tips for HIPAA risk analysis
Organizations looking for additional guidance on risk analysis and management can find a new educational paper on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) web site. -
Patient Safety Alert supplement