Editor's Note This week, US Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2015, which is intended to preserve patient access to ASCs, The ASC Association reports. The Act would: Fix a flaw that allows Medicare to use different measures of inflation for ASCs…

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Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery centers in California face new regulations and oversight under a new law, which takes effect January 1, 2016. New regulatory requirements include peer-review evaluations every 2 years for physicians and surgeons working in ASCs and unannounced inspections of facilities.   SB 396 makes minor changes to…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission has removed the Life Safety (LS) chapter from the Office-Based Surgery Practices Manual, effective immediately. The revision limits office-based surgery practices to a business occupancy of three or fewer patients at the same time who are rendered incapable of self-preservation in an emergency or are…

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Building healthy relationships between leaders and employees is vital to the success of any organization. It’s especially important in perioperative services because of the teamwork needed to provide safe patient care. OR leaders must invest in their employees by fostering trust, job embeddedness, and employee commitment, empowerment, and accountability.  …

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What were you doing in 1991? OR Manager was launching its annual Salary/Career Survey, and in reporting results of this year’s survey, we have included some “fun facts” from the past. One fact is that the average salary for ASC managers has risen from $43,887 in the survey’s first year…

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—Part 1 of this two-part series, published in the September issue of OR Manager, discussed staff engagement and how to hire engaged staff. Once staff are hired, it’s important to keep them engaged and measure the level of engagement. This article describes how to do that.   How do you…

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They are so attractive, those surgeons with rakish beards, those nurses with sparkling manicures, those surgical technologists with dangling earrings. Unfortunately, what is acceptable in many other workplaces is an invitation to infection in the surgical arena (and other healthcare settings as well). Jean Day, BSN, CNOR, director of education…

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Editor's Note As the Affordable Care Act continues to pass more costs to patients through higher deductibles and premiums, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are positioning themselves as cost-effective and convenient alternatives to traditional hospitals, the September 17 Central Valley Business Journal reports. ASCs provide efficient, high-quality procedures, and discharge home…

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Editor's Note Healthcare consultant Woodrow Moore has organized a new group to represent Hawaii’s ambulatory surgery centers, the Pacific Business News reports. The Hawaii ASC Association held its inaugural meeting in June, and a governing board and officers will be selected this month. “Hawaii’s ASCs are organizing for local advocacy,…

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Editor's Note The gap in Medicare reimbursement rates between ASCs and hospital outpatient departments continues to grow, the Wisconsin Health News reports. Reimbursement rates for hospital outpatient departments are updated using the hospital market basket, but rates for ASCs are updated with the consumer price index. The result is that…

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