[Histonet] Re: "Need your help"

[MTitford <@t> aol.com]

Nita Searcy asks about investigating possible unneeded surgical procedures.
Our hospital, as part of its JCAHO accreditation (Joint Council for the Accretation of Hospitals Organization or something close to that)has a "Surgical Case Review Committee". It meets monthly and reviews suspect or unnecessary surgery's among other things. It also takes on little projects like reviewing appendix operations to make sure they are needed.
Also as part of our accretation processes, we require a surgical pathology slip be issued for each surgery that takes place, even if there is no specimen. The idea is the pathologist reviews the slip and if he/she thinks it is unnecessary,or there should have been a specimen, the slip is sent on to the "Surgical Case Review Committee". The scrub nurse signs these off as "none" where the specimen should be listed.
(I served on the committe for a couple of years. It was quite interesting. We sat in plush chairs in the hospital boardroom and got fed lunch....)

Mike Titford
USA Pathology
Mobile AL USA