Ambulatory Surgery
Socioeconomic differences in telemedicine use for ambulatory surgical care during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that Black patients used telemedicine platforms more often than White patients for ambulatory surgical care during Phase 2 of COVID-19. During Phase 1 (March 24 through June 23), there were 347 in-person and 638 virtual…
Trends in ambulatory care during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study, led by researchers at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, finds that the use of ambulatory care services between March 2020 and February 2021 increased after an initial decrease with the onset of COVID-19. However, the rate of increase was significantly lower for Medicaid and/or Medicare…
Are spinal procedures the wave of the future for ASCs?
Looking toward 2022, spine procedures are expected to drive growth and optimize performance in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Michael Ast, MD, chief medical innovation officer for HSS, Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, can attest to this personally. A year ago, his father could not even walk up a…
Hospitals, ASCs face tough decisions in wake of vaccine mandates
Health systems across the country are enacting COVID-19 mandates to comply with a broad-sweeping federal requirement. Amid reports of high compliance rates, the mandate has triggered passionate and visceral responses on both sides of the debate. While some healthcare employees are eager to roll up their sleeves, others decry the…
CMS releases final Medicare payment rule for ASCs, HOPDs
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on November 2, released its 2022 final payment rule for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). The final rule increases Medicare prospective payment system rates by a net 2.0%—a combination of a 2.7% inflation update based on…
Most appendicitis patients can have antibiotics as their first treatment
Editor's Note About half of patients with appendicitis do not need an appendectomy for up to 4 years after receiving antibiotics, finds this study presented October 25 at the American College of Surgeons virtual Clinical Congress 2021. The study was conducted at 25 US medical centers in 1,552 adults with…
Association between virtual care and healthcare utilization during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that the transition to incorporate virtual care into ambulatory healthcare during COVID-19 was not associated with an increased overall number of visits. The researchers identified 10,559,857 ambulatory visits by 1,530,772 patients at their large New…
The Joint Commission seeking comments on new heart attack certification program
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on October 27, announced that it will launch a new Comprehensive Heart Attack Center Certification in July 2022 and is seeking comments on the newly proposed standards. The Joint Commission also has revised standards for its current certification programs: Acute Heart Attack Ready and Primary…
Survey: Most ASC leaders plan to stay the course after pandemic
Consistency is the word that comes to mind when reviewing results from the 2021 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) reported that salary, satisfaction, and the number of employees supervised were comparable to metrics reported in 2020. The good news is that…
Surgical patients find postop virtual visits more convenient without loss of satisfaction
Editor's Note In this study by researchers at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, surgical patients find virtual follow-up care more convenient than traditional in-person appointments without loss of quality or efficiency, which are important components of patient satisfaction. The analysis included 289 patients having laparoscopic appendectomy or…
Free Daily News
- Study: Longer shifts, understaffing increase nurse sickness absence
- Power loss risks prompt FDA Class 1 recall designation for heart pump accessories
- Therapy dogs ease nurse burnout, boost morale
- Personalized perioperative pain management reduces opioid use
- Study: Colibactin-producing gut bacteria fuel colorectal cancer surge
- Augmented reality gains FDA nod, 10k-case milestone in orthopedics, strides in outpatient surgery
- Smart patient selection anchors DISC’s high-acuity spine ASC model
- Postop opioid prescriptions following outpatient surgery see steep, sustained fall
- Study: Bariatric surgery offers cost, survival benefits for cirrhosis patients
- AI monitoring, remote surgery advance