Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Earns Three AORN Surgical Safety Designations

Sanford Bemidji Medical Center landed in rare company last week, becoming one of the first 10 hospitals nationwide to earn the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses' Enhanced Recovery After Surgery designation while simultaneously qualifying for all three surgical safety recognitions the organization offers.

AORN, the nation's leading authority on perioperative nursing practice, runs a Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety program with three distinct designations: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), Retained Surgical Items Prevention, and Smoke Evacuation. Sanford Bemidji earned all three.

To qualify, the hospital's surgical teams strengthened ERAS protocols, added new tools that support surgical safety, completed advanced training and built a stronger culture of communication in the operating room. The requirements also included comprehensive staff education, physician attestations and robust auditing processes.

"Achieving this designation reflects on our team's dedication to delivering exceptional care at every stage of the surgical journey," said Janna Galloway, Director of Surgical Services at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. "By strengthening our ERAS protocols, we're improving outcomes and elevating the standard of care for the patients we serve."

The ERAS designation specifically honors a facility's commitment to improving patients' physical and psychological wellbeing before, during and after surgery through consistent, evidence-based recovery practices. For a regional medical center serving rural north-central Minnesota, the practical stakes are significant: ERAS-consistent care is designed to decrease post-operative length of stay and reduce readmissions, helping keep complex surgical procedures available in Bemidji rather than requiring patients to travel to distant facilities.

The recognition is also expected to bolster patient confidence and help attract and retain surgical staff. Sanford Bemidji plans to continue auditing performance, expand ERAS-consistent pathways to additional procedures and highlight the designations in outreach to referring clinicians and patients.