Why clinical expertise is the cornerstone to your most profitable business line

During Perioperative Nurses Week this November 10-16, we encourage you to recognize the invaluable contributions of your perioperative nurses and nurse leaders. Their specialized clinical skills and knowledge protect your patients from adverse outcomes — and safeguard one of the most important revenue drivers for your health system.

As you know too well, managing highly complex surgical services is far more than space, labor, and supplies. At the most crucial time in a patient’s life, your periop nurses bring the clinical edge in understanding all the intersecting variables necessary for safe care while mitigating costly risks.

Both CMS and The Joint Commission standards require that a nurse (or MD/DO) with specialized perioperative clinical experience supervise the operating room for several reasons:

• Enhanced Patient Safety: Perioperative nurses are trained to be an advocate for the patient, to anticipate and respond to potential complications and address any issues promptly and effectively. For example, their expertise in managing anesthesia-related risks can prevent adverse events, reduce the likelihood of costly malpractice claims, and improve patient satisfaction.
• Improved Coordination and Communication: A perioperative nurse is a central point of contact, facilitating communication between surgical teams, anesthesia providers, and nursing staff. This coordination is crucial for smooth workflows, reduced OR turnover times, and increased surgical volumes.
• Expertise in Infection Control: Perioperative nurses focus on infection prevention protocols in and around the OR. From sterile processing practices for instruments to overseeing terminal cleaning of the OR, they know what it takes to prevent surgical infections and their associated costs.
• Comprehensive Risk Management: Perioperative nurse leaders bring a holistic view of the entire perioperative process — from sterile processing to preop, intraop, and postop. Their deep understanding of how workflows and clinical practices affect patients’ surgeons, anesthesia providers, and the periop team, uniquely equips them to quickly identify potential risks and implement strategies to mitigat e them.
• Continuous Quality Improvement: Perioperative nurses know the “how” of quality improvement initiatives. Their education and experiences focus on evidence-based practices and continuous learning to remain at the forefront of advancements that support improved patient recovery times, higher patient throughput, fewer readmissions, and improved financial performance.

All these qualifications and contributions underscore why AORN believes perioperative nurses are uniquely suited for the surgical services director role. For surgical services leaders without the recommended direct perioperative experience, AORN is here to support your efforts in fostering a balanced approach to decision-making, enhancing both care and efficiencies. OSM

Nakeisha Tolliver, DNP, MBA, RN, NE-BC, CNOR, CSSM, is AORN president, and Linda Groah, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, FAAN, is AORN CEO/executive director.