First Olympus Superbug Trial Underway And What It Means For All Hospitals

April 30, 2025 / Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety /

The first trial accusing Olympus Corp. of wrongdoing associated with contaminated duodenoscopes in US hospitals is underway.  The case surrounds the death of Richard Bigler, a 57 year-old patient who underwent a scope procedure while battling pancreatic cancer in 2013.  It’s alleged that during the procedure, a tainted duodenoscope at Virginia Mason Medical Center passed […]

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How Your Medical Devices Can Tell You When They’re About To Expire

April 30, 2025 / The Business of Surgery, Big Data, Cath Lab, Hospital IT, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency, Radiology, Supply Chain /

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 (original article here). This comes as no surprise, as we have witnessed the usage of expired inventory at hospitals first-hand.  Without the proper processes and vigilance

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How To Make Your Scopes Tell You When They’re Missing

April 30, 2025 / Managing Endoscopes, Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital IT, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency /

All successful endoscopy practices within private practices and hospitals face the same dilemma – how do I track down scopes that have gone missing? With numerous docs, interns, techs and nurses all having access to all the scopes in your facility, it’s a near impossibility to keep track of all of your scopes with 100%

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Be Transparent With Physicians on Pricing to Drive More Value

April 30, 2025 / Hospital Management, Big Data, Cath Lab, Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency, Radiology, The Business of Surgery /

One of the biggest obstacles to value analysis teams within hospitals is physicians who are reluctant to switch devices or vendors.  Physicians often grow attached to certain medical devices, with good reason – they have been proven to work for them and their patients.  Often times, showing evidence that a substitute item with similar functionality

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How To Make Your Scopes Tell You When They Need To Be Washed

April 30, 2025 / Managing Endoscopes, Cost Reduction, Hospital IT, Operating Rooms, Operational Efficiency /

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the number of days a flexible endoscope can safely be in storage before another cleaning is required. Different medical societies like SGNA, ASGE, AORN and APIC have come out with guidance on what the appropriate hang-time limits are. Some hospitals that we’ve talked to have listened

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The Dangers Of Copy-And-Paste In Your Medical Records

April 30, 2025 / The Business of Surgery, Big Data, Clinical Documentation, Hospital IT, Patient Safety /

With the seemingly endless amount of information clinicians are required to enter into medical records software each day, it comes as no surprise that doctors and other hospital staff are looking for short-cuts to reduce their documentation burden.  At our customers, we’ve seen copying and pasting of data from templates or other patient records to

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The Risk Of Improperly Trained Staff In The Endoscopy Suite

April 30, 2025 / Patient Safety, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes /

A recent incident in the Philadelphia area reminds us of the dangers that can result from improperly trained staff in the endoscopy area of a hospital.  In the incident, an elderly patient undergoing a surgical procedure had an improperly cleaned endoscope used on them during their procedure.  The incident occurred at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, outside

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Why Patient Outcomes Improve During Joint Commission Surveys

April 30, 2025 / Patient Safety, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, 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

April 30, 2025 / Hospital Management, Big Data, Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital IT, 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

April 30, 2025 / Hospital Management, Cath Lab, Clinical Documentation, Hospital Finance, 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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