Although hospitals and ASCs in most states are not required to report wrong-site surgeries, it was estimated they occur 40 times a week based on state data.
The participating hospitals and ASCs found numerous causes of the preventable error. Poor communication, distractions in the operating room, timeouts without full participation and problems with scheduling and pre-op/holding processes were some of the leading causes that increased the risk of wrong-site surgeries, the release said.
According to the release, the healthcare organizations found that addressing documentation and verification issues in the pre-op stages also decreased wrong-site surgery cases from a baseline of 52 percent to 19 percent.
The eight hospitals and ASCs that volunteered to address wrong-site surgeries included:
• AnMed Health in Anderson, S.C.
• Center for Health Ambulatory Surgery Center in Peoria, Ill.
• Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill, Penn.
• La Veta Surgical Center in Orange, Calif.
• Lifespan-Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I.
• The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York
• Seven Hills Surgery Center in Henderson, Nev.
• Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia
Read the Joint Commission’s news release on wrong-site surgery.
Related Articles on Wrong-Site Surgery:
Wrong-Site Surgery Estimated to Occur 40 Times Per Week
CMS Takes No Action Against Ohio Hospital That Performed Wrong-Site Surgery
Anesthesiologists Increasingly Responsible for Wrong-Site Procedures
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