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B E N C H M A R K I N G
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Block time utilization
Surgeons love being able to reserve operating room time, but it's
up to you to make sure that they're using that time as efficiently
as possible. Whatever your block utilization rate threshold, know how
much of their block time doctors must use in order to keep it. Leila
Welborn, MD, medical director of the ASC at Children's National
Medical Center in Washington, D.C., tracks the number of cases per
month, per surgeon, per department. When blocks drop, be swift to
act. If a doctor doesn't use at least 75% of the block time, Mike
Pankey, RN, MBA, administrator of the ASC of Spartanburg (S.C.),
cuts it back. Be judicious with permanent block time slots. Only dole
those out to surgeons with heavy caseloads that you reasonably
expect will fill their block at least 75% of the time.
6
Surgical
site infections
The benchmark is to
have zero surgical site
infections. To that
end, you should
measure whether you
start antibiotics within 60 minutes of the
incision. "This is a
SCIP initiative that is
publically reported,"
says Denise Yeager,
RN, CNOR, nurse
O C T O B E R 2013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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