Sri Mandava

Why Patient Outcomes Improve During Joint Commission Surveys

Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that mortality of patients during Joint Commission surveys was reduced by 6% compared to before and after the surveys.  The study, authored by Andrew Olenski, Michael Barnett and Anupam Jena, attributed the improved patient outcomes to the “Hawthorne Effect.”  The “Hawthorne Effect” suggests that people actively […]

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How Big Data In The OR Saved One Health System Nearly $10 Million Last Year

Big Data, Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital IT, Hospital Management, Operating Rooms, Supply Chain, The Business of Surgery /

Big data has been a buzzword in the healthcare industry for the past few years, but more often than not, the benefits of big data have been hard to quantify. Not so for St. Louis, Missouri-based Mercy health system.  Mercy has recently turned big data findings in the perioperative area of their hospitals into savings

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Why Case Mix Index Matters To Your Hospital And How To Maximize It

Cath Lab, Clinical Documentation, Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Operating Rooms, Radiology, The Business of Surgery /

In talking with our hospital customers, case mix index (CMI) often comes up as a source of confusion and misunderstanding by clinical staff.  CMI is widely tracked by employees on the financial side of the hospital, but not monitored nearly as closely on the clinical side, so its impact is widely misunderstood.  CMI is an

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Joint Commission’s Recommendations on Creating a Culture of Safety

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

Recently, the Joint Commission (TJC) released its recommendations on how to create a culture of safety within healthcare organizations.  As hospitals work to create safer environments for their staff and patients, a culture of safety has become tantamount to reaching their operational goals.  A culture of safety can have several positive effects at a healthcare

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How Biomedical Engineering Can Help In The Fight Against Hospital Acquired Infections

Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) continue to be a focus area for hospital departments such as infection control and sterile processing departments.  Infection control has been a key area of focus by many US hospitals due to the huge financial and reputational risk that exists when an outbreak of a superbug occurs in a hospital.  Biomedical

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4 Steps To Increase Patient Safety In Your Hospital

Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

Hospitals continue to pursue patient safety initiatives as part of the overall shift in US Healthcare from volume to value.  After all, hospital acquired infections (HAIs) quickly increase the cost of a procedure and will directly affect your bottom-line.  This is on top of any damage to your hospital’s reputation that may occur from an

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Why You Need To Focus On Data Quality In Your Electronic Medical Record Today

Big Data, Clinical Documentation, Hospital IT, Operational Efficiency, The Business of Surgery /

Data integrity is becoming a focal point of many hospitals that have recently gone live with their multi-million dollar electronic medical record (EMR) systems.  While moving from paper to electronic medical records helps hospitals improve EMR accessibility and portability, it does not do much in the way of removing human error.  This becomes a potential

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Interview with Damien Berg – Sterile Processing Expert, Candidate for IAHCSMM President

Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

I recently had a chance to sit down with Damien Berg.  Damien is the Manager of Sterile Processing at St. Anthony Hospital in Colorado, and he is running for IAHCSMM President-Elect in this year’s election.  As the election is already underway, I wanted to sit down with Damien to understand his platform and interest in

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3 Dangers of Expired Medical Devices

Cath Lab, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency, Patient Safety, Radiology, The Business of Surgery /

A recent survey conducted by Cardinal Health showed that 24% of hospital staff have seen or heard of an expired product being used on a patient during a procedure.  This comes as no surprise, as we have witnessed the usage of expired inventory at hospitals first-hand.  Without the proper processes and vigilance to prevent these

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The Cost of Hospital Waste

Cath Lab, Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Operating Rooms, Radiology, Supply Chain, The Business of Surgery /

Each year, the US healthcare system wastes $765 billion according to a 2012 National Academy of Medicine study. According to the same study, that total eclipses the annual budget of the Defense Department and the amount could be used to cover the insurance coverage of 150 million American workers. While the numbers are staggering, there

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