Editor's Note Patients having outpatient surgery in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) versus hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) are less likely to be admitted to a hospital or visit an emergency department a short time after surgery, this study finds. The study is the first to provide causal evidence on ASC quality,…

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Editor's Note Inadequate functional health literacy (FHL) in ambulatory surgery patients was associated with poorer postoperative recovery and a lower quality of life in this study. Of 704 patients undergoing ambulatory surgery who were surveyed, 427 (60.7%) reported sufficient FHL, 223 (31.7%) said problematic FHL, and 54 (7.7%) had inadequate…

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Editor's Note NewYork-Presbyterian on April 24 announced the opening of the David H. Koch Center, a world-class ambulatory care center that provides a seamless patient experience from diagnosis to treatment. The approximately 749,000 square foot facility includes services such as outpatient surgery, interventional radiology, diagnostic imaging, and infusion services as…

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Editor's Note The submission deadline for all Ambulatory Surgery Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) program web-based measures is May 15, 2018, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association reported on April 24. ASC-8: Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel is reported through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network.…

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Editor's Note All eligible Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) that want to avoid future penalties must complete a new electronic form by April 14 via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network website in order to report on ASC-8: Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel, the Ambulatory…

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Editor's Note At First Hill Surgery Center in Seattle, patients can have a knee or hip replaced in the morning and go home in the afternoon, the April Seattle Magazine reports. The surgical procedure takes about 2 hours, and patients admitted at 7:30 am generally are able to return home…

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Editor's Note Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) can be performed on an outpatient basis with comparable morbidity, readmission rates, and lower costs as on an inpatient basis, finds this study. In this analysis of 3,135 outpatient and 46,966 inpatient ACDFs, the mean Charlson comorbidity index, length of stay, and…

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Editor's Note Children younger than 3 years of age may benefit from 23-hour observation after tonsillectomy, this study finds. In this multicenter study of 1,817 healthy children having outpatient tonsillectomy, those younger than 3 years were at an increased risk for complications within the first 24 hours, and the complications…

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Editor's Note Enhanced patient satisfaction scores were seen in patients who received supplemental web-based education before having outpatient orthopedic surgical procedures in this study presented March 7 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting. A total of 177 patients were randomized to receive either routine education from the…

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The rapid growth in outpatient procedures presents exciting opportunities for leaders at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), but also the challenge of accommodating a higher volume and more specialties without sacrificing efficiency and patient safety. That’s why it’s important not to lose sight of the fundamentals in managing an ASC, whether…

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