You're not alone when cutting costs
When cutting costs in your facility, other programs, your physicians, and even your staff can be partners. Consider these suggestions from Terry Hawes, RN, vice president of Dallas-based National Surgical Care:
• Benchmark.
Benchmark with like facilities, Hawes suggests. Being part of a large group often means you're provided quarterly benchmarking statistics, but if you're not part of such a group, find someone in your state to swap numbers with you, she advises.
• Educate physicians on the cost of supplies.
This is one of most significant ways to cut costs, Hawes says.
Perform a comparative analysis of procedures by surgeon, and then follow up with specialty meetings with surgeons to disseminate comparative data, she advises. Say, "Doctor, you're doing carpal tunnel, and it's costing you X. For this other doctor, it's costing Y. Why?" Hawes says, "They'll compete with each other, plus they'll understand it can be could be done at a lesser cost for same outcome."
Make sure physicians understand the cost of the items on their preference cards, particularly when those items are outside of normal inventory, she says. "Sit down with physicians and say, 'These are the things we order for you that we don't typically order for other people. You need to know what the cost of them is.'"
• Staffing.
Flexible staffing can lead to less overtime, Hawes says. "A couple of centers I work with have a policy that when cases are done at the end of six hours, the staff goes home," she says. "The next day, they may work 10 hours, but they're not into overtime." Your state law may mandate a different arrangement, however, Hawes warns. "It's state-specific and facility-specific," she says.
Cross-train staff when appropriate, Hawes advises. "If you have a pre-op nurse, it's great to cross-train her to the PACU," she says. You could cross train such a person to the OR, but if you don't use that nurse there, you've spent time, money, and energy, and the nurse will lose the skills, Hawes says. "Cross-train to like positions."
Use nonlicensed staff for discharging patients, gathering pre-op paperwork, and similar responsibilities, Hawes suggests. "You don't have to have those tasks being performed by licensed staff," she advises.
When cutting costs in your facility, other programs, your physicians, and even your staff can be partners. Consider these suggestions from Terry Hawes, RN, vice president of Dallas-based National Surgical Care:You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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