Editor's Note Doctors facing inflationary and operational cost increases are decrying recently finalized 2025 Medicare reimbursement rates, according to a November 4 report in Healthcare Dive. The 2025 rates reduce physician payments by 2.9% while increasing rates for hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) by 2.9%, the outlet…

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Editor's Note Stool-based testing strategies could significantly reduce the number of colonoscopies required for post-polypectomy colorectal cancer (CRC) surveillance while maintaining equivalent long-term outcomes in cancer incidence and mortality, according to research published August 30 in Gastroenterology. Conducted in the Netherlands, the cross-sectional observational study compared three stool tests—multitarget stool…

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Editor's Note “There's nothing worse than putting a contract together, only for the anesthesia providers to say, ‘Oh, no, we're not going to do that,” Mindy Gingery, MSN, CRNA, ARNP, president of Heartland Anesthesia & Consulting, said, opening this morning session on anesthesia contract best practices for ambulatory surgery centers…

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Editor's Note Three days of education and networking await perioperative professionals attending this week’s OR Manager Conference (ORMC), which runs through Wednesday, October 30 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. By the time today’s keynote speaker begins an address on resilience and mental health, many attendees will already have…

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Editor's Note The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) announced the formation of Heart Rhythm Advocates, a new 501(c)(4) nonprofit advocacy organization aimed at bolstering support for cardiac electrophysiology (EP), Cardiac Rhythm News October 23 reports. This initiative complements HRS's existing 501(c)(3) nonprofit structure and responds to the increasing prevalence of atrial…

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Editor's Note Newsweek on October 16, in collaboration with Statista, released its 2025 rankings for America's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), recognizing 650 top-performing ASCs across the US. These rankings highlight excellence in outpatient surgical care, showcasing centers that provide efficient, high-quality procedures such as colonoscopies, cataract surgical procedures, knee…

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Editor's Note The Northtowns Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) is set to open on October 24 in Amherst, New York, representing the culmination of a 5-year effort led by Brian McGrath, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Buffalo Business First October 17 reports. Located within a 160,000-square-foot…

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Editor's Note Combining newer weight loss drugs with bariatric surgery is the most cost-effective long-term strategy for treating obesity, according to research presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2024. Medical Xpress reported on the findings October 18. According to the article, researchers from Northwestern Medicine evaluated the…

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Editor's Note Although women are underrepresented in high-compensation medical specialties, new research shows a significant increase in female applicants and matriculants to surgical specialties specifically. Published September 30 in JAMA Network, the study found that the proportion of women entering high-compensation surgical specialties rose from 28.8% to 42.4%. In contrast,…

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Editor's  Note Aquablation is safe and effective for treating patients with benign prostatic hypoplasia (BPH) in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), according to a video published September 23 by the Urology Times. The video features a discussion with Kevin C. Zorn, MD, FRCSC, FACS, lead author of the study “Safety and…

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