You want to know the likes, dislikes and quirks of every staff member on your team, but it’s not always easy to get to know the person behind the mask. To remedy this issue, one problem-solving director came up with a simple way...

Discharge specialists at Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, S.D., recover patients and help them to their cars when they’re ready to head home. “We decided to prioritize discharge efficiency, which allows for better...

Orthopaedic Associates of Michigan (OAM) at Midtowne, a freestanding surgery center in Grand Rapids, provided free lunches to joint replacement patients and the person who accompanies them to the facility after launching...

During fire drills — as well as in the event of an actual fire emergency — some facilities place a magnet on the outside of a room that says “Checked” or similar language to confirm that a room has been evacuated. This ensures...

Staff appreciation gestures have been a mainstay of the first year of operations at National Ambulatory Surgery Center in San Jose, Calif. Whether it’s a more formal designation for the Employee of the Quarter...

Last-minute changes to the surgical schedule, surgeon requests or cases that require specialized instrumentation could throw a wrench into how smoothly instruments flow through your facility. Installing a whiteboard in the hall...

Supply chain issues during the pandemic caused deliveries of Diet Coke, Mountain Dew and other sodas to be delayed at Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, S.D. When the soda deliveries went away in 2020, the facility’s leadership...

Forcing loved ones to sit in their vehicles in the parking lot as part of COVID-19 restrictions made The Toledo (Ohio) Clinic Outpatient Surgery Center’s job of providing the best possible patient experience more difficult...

When Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., wanted to step up its sustainability efforts, placing more recycling bins around the facility was a great start. But too many staff were still uncertain about what should be recycled...

Staff at Einstein Endoscopy Center in Blue Bell, Pa., used to receive annual ergonomics training based on a standardized program designed by experts who work for the large health system that owns the facility. The instruction...

Sometimes all it takes to put younger patients at ease before surgery is a friend — a furry one they can squeeze to death in the OR and take home with them after the procedure is over. That’s the idea behind...

Days fill up fast when you’re managing a busy surgical facility, and it’s often difficult to remember — or find the time — to get out from behind your desk to connect with staff, see how they’re doing and answer questions they have...

It feels good to go above and beyond for someone just to see them smile. That’s the reasoning behind Vance Thompson Vision’s secret service initiative, which allows anyone on the staff to spend up to $100 on a patient...

Patients who underwent surgery at Hunterdon Center for Surgery in Flemington, N.J., used to store their street clothes in non descript plastic bags. But then leadership saw an opportunity to improve on the practice...

Leadership at Orthopaedic Associates of Michigan (OAM) at Midtowne in Grand Rapids wanted a better way to communicate with staff in the event of an emergency. In March 2020, the facility started using the GroupMe app,...

It can be difficult to keep busy employees present — physically and mentally — during staff meetings. That’s why leadership at Heartland Surgery Center in Kearney, Neb., offers three separate gift card drawings...

Administrative staff can suffer from shoulder, back and neck strain caused by cradling phones between their ears and shoulders for hours on end, so Marisa Ynchausti, RN, BSN, clinical nurse manager at National Ambulatory...

The administration at Heartland Surgery Center in Kearney, Neb., doesn’t wait around for standard holidays to let loose and have fun. “We celebrated national coffee day and had a local coffee shop deliver drinks,” says...

Coming up with a discreet way to identify patients who have bloodborne pathogens such as HIV or hepatitis B — infectious diseases that pose risks to staff members — simultaneously maintains patient dignity...

Patients who receive care at the Advanced Spine Center of Wisconsin in Neenah undergo long procedures, leaving patient escorts to sit for hours while they wait. “After a handful of patient satisfaction surveys noted that...