OR BUYERS GUIDE
Essentials to keep ORs operating
Aligning professionals, products and practices to keep surgery safe by Ebony Smith
Photo credit: Gorodenkoff |
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ospitals, operating rooms (ORs) and other healthcare providers remain committed to delivering the highest quality of care and safety for their patients as the COVID-19 pandemic presses on.
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Last year, however, spending on medical care in the United States dipped, according to a news post from ltarum. “For the fi rst year since at least 1960 – when the Cen- ters for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began tracking national health expenditures – total health spending in 2020 was less than in the previous year. While spending has recovered somewhat from its pandemic-related decline in the spring, our preliminary estimate is that national health spending in 2020 was 2.0% lower than in 2019, a decline of about $75.8 billion dollars.”1
Altarum continued, “Among the major contributors to the decline were hospital care, the largest component, which was 7.0% lower in 2020 than in 2019, and dental services, which dropped 20.2% in 2020. These declines and those in other categories occurred as some services were temporarily curtailed and patients avoided seeking care to avoid exposure to the COVID-19 virus. At the same time, spending on prescription drugs and home health care actually increased for the year, the latter likely related to individuals selecting home care rather than nursing homes to avoid exposure.”1
Still, despite decreased spending and cases, hospitals and healthcare facilities have continued to make progress in care. Several, in fact, were awarded for their exceptional 2020 performance.
“The American Association of Critical-
Care Nurses (AACN) recognized 208 units from 149 hospitals that earned the Beacon Awards for Excellence between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020…The award provides gold, silver and bronze levels of recognition to hospital units that exem- plify excellence in professional practice, and patient care and outcomes.”2
Navigating challenges, needs OR, surgical, and critical care teams confront many challenges with work- loads, scheduling, personal protective equipment (PPE), device management and infection prevention (IP) during the continuing COVID-19 crisis.
Staff, scheduling shift “After a year into the pandemic, I think that the major need – and shortage – is of skilled healthcare personnel,” indicated Arik Eisenkraft, CMO, Biobeat Technologies Ltd. Tricia Coyle, MSN, RN, CPSN, Clinical Consultant, Gentherm, emphasized that, “One of the biggest challenges that affects all areas of the hospital is the continued strain on the clinical workforce. In addi- tion to the increased risk of acquiring COVID-19, healthcare workers are experiencing longer working hours, fatigue, psychological stress and alterations to their work/life balance.” Addressing the need for healthcare staffing, the
Arik Eisenkraft Tricia Coyle 38 April 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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American Hospital Association (AHA) wrote a letter to U.S. Congress members in support of the “Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act.” “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented demands on the nation’s health care system, and it also has changed the way people receive care,”3 stated AHA. “As a result of the adop- tion of technology, the need to maintain social distance and stay-at-home, there has been a high demand for telehealth visits. During COVID-19 spikes in certain areas of the country, there has been a need for additional health care providers to arrive from out of state to provide much needed care…Your legislation allows for the temporary reciprocity for treat- ment by medical professionals licensed in one state to patients in other states. It is limited in duration to the COVID- 19 pandemic and only allows a health care professional to practice within their licensed scope of practice.”3
Coyle also points to changes in schedul- ing and practice. “Regarding scheduling, COVID 19 presented a lot of challenges for our OR and procedural areas,” she said. “Government-mandated cancellation of all ‘non-urgent’ procedures halted surgi- cal operations for almost two and a half months resulting in a loss of revenue and a large backfi ll once operations were able to resume. In the outpatient setting, the delivery of care to patients transitioned to a telemedicine model; this was chal- lenging as some healthcare providers and patients are more technologically savvy than others.”
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