Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech

Following Controversy, Swedish Health Announces Shift Away From Overlapping Surgeries

August 10, 2017 By Daniel Seeger

After enduring several months of bad publicity and heightened regulatory scrutiny, the Seattle-based healthcare provider Swedish this week announced plans to significantly curtail the practice of overlapping surgeries in their hospitals.  

“We have established more specific parameters around attending surgeon presence during surgical procedures,” the organization explained in a press release. “We have also enhanced monitoring, centralized scheduling, and revised patient-consent communications.”

The Seattle Times reports that surgeons at Swedish-run facilities must now be in the OR for the “substantial majority” of all procedures, with limited clearance to step away during more mundane tasks at the beginning and end, such as closing the surgical incision.

Despite industry pushback — accompanied by extensive research — insisting that the practice of overlapping surgeries is safe, public skepticism is giving headaches to administrators. Even when detailing the revised guidelines, Swedish Health Services CEO R. Guy Hudson, MD, noted there was no indication the previous policy allowing for overlapping surgeries was compromising patient care.       

(Image credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum/Released)

“These changes are reflective of our desire to lead the way and to listen to our patients and caregivers,” Hudson said, according to The Seattle Times. “Why? Because we believe patients come first.”

Hudson was elevated to CEO when Tony Armada resigned the post in February, following a Seattle Times investigation into the high prevalence of overlapping surgeries in the neuroscience unit of Cherrry Hill, a hospital operated by Swedish. The newspaper article helped revive an Oregon Department of Health probe into Cherry Hill operations and spur a simultaneous investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Both efforts are ongoing.

Johnny Delashaw, MD, who was chair of the Swedish Neuroscience Institute, has also faced significant repercussions following the Seattle Times article. Specifically fingered as the leader who drove the extensive adoption of overlapping surgeries, Delashaw has since exited the hospital and had his state medical license suspended. Delashaw appealed the suspension, maintaining complaints against him were inspired by staff members harboring personal grievances.       

Swedish operates five hospitals and multiple other facilities in and around Seattle, making them the metropolitan area’s largest nonprofit provider of health services. The new policies regarding overlapping surgeries were implemented immediately.

Related Articles Read More >

Logos of Creo Medical and Intuitive
Creo Medical inks collaboration agreement with Intuitive
Lazurite ArthroFree wireless surgical camera system Minnetronix Medical
How Minnetronix Medical helped Lazurite with its wireless surgical camera
Medtronic Hugo robot-assisted surgery system
The road to a robot: Medtronic’s development process for its Hugo RAS system
A portrait of Stryker executive Siddarth Satish
How Stryker includes users for product design in the digital age

DeviceTalks Weekly.

May 27, 2022
Quick message - No DTW podcast, but plenty else to listen to over this weekend and next week.
See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

Enewsletter Subscriptions

Enewsletter Subscriptions

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech 100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to E-newsletter
  • Attend our Monthly Webinars
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech