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O U T P AT 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 | M A R C H 2 0 1 6
On the Cover
Patients often show up for
surgery anxious and generally
uncomfortable. Why should they
also be hungry and thirsty?
Many facilities still follow a
strict NPO-by-midnight fasting
policy, regardless of the sched-
uled start times of procedures,
subjecting patients to the ill
effects of a fast that can last
for as long as 16 hours. Our
reader survey and the latest
research shows it might be time
to bend the rules just a bit to
improve patient comfort during
what is already a stressful time.
Cover design by Ethan Anderson
Photo by Pamela Bevelhymer, RN, BSN
10 Editor's Page
Fired for Fighting for Patient Safety
Dan O'Connor | Editor-in-Chief
14 In Case You Missed It …
Check out the top 10 viewed features on outpatientsurgery.net
16 Ideas That Work
• Keep instrument sets organized
• Bubble wrap your laryngoscope blades
• 4 ways to boost hand hygiene compliance
26 Anesthesia Alert
The Great LMA Debate
Perry V. Ruspantine, CRNA, APRN
31 Staffing
Deal With Difficult Employees Head On
Ann Geier, MS, RN, CNOR, CASC
35 Business Advisor
Time to Dust Off Those Preference Cards
Treena Dockery, MBA/HCM
40 Coding & Billing
6 Strategies to Get Your Claims Paid Correctly
Chris Klitgaard, MHS, MBA, and Kimberly Vegter, CPC, CPC-I
45 Medical Malpractice
Suits From Slips, Trips and Falls
Alex Stein, PhD
130 Thinking of Buying … A C-arm
Streamlined design and digital data have improved imaging.
Karen Wenning, RN
142 Infection Prevention
Improving Your Antibiotic Prescribing
Amber Wood, MS, RN, CNOR, CIC
146 Legal Update
Tapping Into the Self-Insured Employer Market
Thomas L. O'Carroll, JD, and Angela M. Rust, JD
152 Product News
158 Cutting Remarks
Are We Really Discharging That Patient?
John D. Kelly IV, MD
160 Behind Closed Doors
I'm Not "Just a Nurse"
Paula Watkins, RN, CNOR
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31
Departments
115 Take Our Blanket Warmers Quiz
Bonus points if you know the recommended
maximum temperature for warming cabinets,
and if warmed blankets can burn a patient.
Dan Cook | Executive Editor
122 How Do You Manage Fluid Waste?
Readers reveal what it takes to keep
OR floors dry during the messiest procedures.
Dan Cook | Executive Editor
Contents