Potential Outbreaks Related To Gastroscopes Revealed

Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

A potential superbug linked to contaminated gastroscopes at UPMC in Pittsburgh, PA was discussed in a recent article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (01/03/17). The author, Dr. Lawrence Muscarella, wrote that the infected gastroscopes may have infected up to 6 patients with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), a deadly superbug. This article by Gordon Gibb of LawyersandSettlements.com […]

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How One Hospital Uses Advanced Analytics to Drive Savings and Improve Outcomes

Big Data, Cath Lab, Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital IT, Hospital Management, Operating Rooms, Radiology, The Business of Surgery /

Geisinger Health System, a leading health system in Eastern Pennsylvania, has begun realizing tremendous benefits from a data analytics program established in 2015. The hospital’s Unified Data Architecture (UDA) collects and stores data from electronic medical records and other data sources to provide a holistic view of a patient’s health. Benefits of the UDA so

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Some Fuji Duodenoscopes Pulled From Market

Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

FujiFilm Medical Systems, USA Endoscopy Division (“FMSU-ESD”) declared this week that it is removing some of its older model duodenoscopes from the market. According to FujiFilm, the ED-250XL5, ED-250XT5, ED-450XL5, and ED-450XT5 model duodenoscopes are the models that are being recalled. Per a press release from FujiFilm, which can be found here: “These devices are

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OIG Audit of Abbott Northwestern Hospital Turns Up $8 Million in Medicare Overpayments

Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Regulatory Compliance, Revenue Cycle, The Business of Surgery /

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently released the report of its findings from an audit conducted at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.  Based on a review of 162 claims from 2013 and 2014, the OIG found a potential of $933,991 in over payments.  Extrapolated over the 2-year

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Endoscope Market Showing No Signs of Slowing Down

Managing Endoscopes /

Technavio, a technology research and advisory company, has released a five-year forecast for the global gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy devices market. Their research shows an expected cumulative average growth rate of nearly 6% from 2016-2020. This large and growing market is expected to reach a total size of $5 billion by 2020. The global move towards

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How Physician Feedback Can Save Millions In Your OR

Big Data, Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency, The Business of Surgery /

Putting surgeons in the know regarding their OR spend can help hospitals reduce costs drastically. This is the main finding from a study published in JAMA Surgery by a study team at the University of California, San Francisco. A test group of surgeons who received monthly feedback on their OR costs reduced their spend by

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How Operating Rooms Are Throwing Millions of Dollars Away Each Year

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

Disposable medical supplies are responsible for over 2,000 tons of physical waste per day, and they are making a huge impact on OR profits. A recent study by University of California, San Francisco noted that an average of nearly $1,000 of disposable medical supplies per procedure were wasted in their neurosurgical department. This equated to

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How Will Recent FDA Guidance On Endoscope Reprocessing Impact Hospitals?

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

With all the recent outbreaks related to flexible endoscope usage, proper cleaning of scopes continues to be top of mind for hospitals and patients. The FDA has recently released guidance on mitigating the risk from cross-contamination of scopes, which can be found here. Whether or not this guidance will help reduce the likelihood of a

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Endoscope Reprocessing Again Near the Top of Health Technology Hazards List for 2017

Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

A leading organization again named Endoscope Reprocessing one of its top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2017. For several years now, ECRI Institute has listed Endoscope Reprocessing near the top of its annual list of health technology hazards. ECRI (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare

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Silence on Endoscope-Related Outbreaks Continues

Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

Senior executives at Olympus have recently declined to make any comment regarding emails that have surfaced in an investigation by Kaiser Health News and the Los Angeles Times. The emails seem to point to Olympus managers treating the infection risk to patients due to improper cleaning of duodenoscopes as “acceptable.” This article found at Kaiser

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