In the May issue of OR Manager, an article from us at the Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI) covered the definition of the nurse leader in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) space, and what that role may look like depending upon the structural organization of the ASC. We covered that…

ASC leaders continue to see increased surgical volumes but are finding it difficult to staff their centers, according to the 2023 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. More than half (56%) of respondents reported increased volume in the past 12 months, the same as last year. Yet the ability to recruit new…

Ambulatory is the term the industry is “stuck with” because that is the name the founders came up with in 1970, says David Shapiro, MD, CASC, CPHRM, LHR, an anesthesiologist with extensive experience in ambulatory surgery management and a member of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) board.…

With healthcare costs continuing to rise, hospitals, payers, and patients are looking for different venues for care and ways to cut costs while maintaining quality and safety. As more surgical procedures are safely performed in outpatient settings, more ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are being built or restructured. Partnerships between hospitals…

Surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance has rapidly grown in the ambulatory setting over the last decade, with the expansion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network’s (NHSN) Outpatient Procedure Component (OPC). OPC-SSI is designed to track and monitor SSIs in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs)…

Takeaways Perianesthesia and sterile processing leaders are feeling the pain of staffing shortages. Strategies to recruit and retain staff include raising pay, establishing clinical ladders, training programs, and a positive work environment. A 2022 study found that Certified Post Anesthesia nurses are more satisfied with their jobs than noncertified nurses.…

The role of a nurse leader in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) can take many forms depending on the ASC’s size, structure, and governing environment. Larger ASCs can support a number of leaders and roles. Factors that influence this number are whether the ASC is part of a network, the…

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are continuing to perform more and more surgical procedures. According to Fortune Business Insights, ASCs can expect to see even greater case volumes as the number of outpatient procedures is estimated to increase by 15% by 2028. With an increase in procedures, it is essential that…

Ambulatory service centers (ASCs) are back in expansion mode after a slow-down during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, as the pandemic took hold, ASCs saw a decrease in growth as people delayed or opted out of elective surgeries. But that delay only served to highlight the importance of ASCs to…

Leaders of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continue to face many challenges in 2023, with staffing at the top of the list. OR Manager wanted to know more about what ASC leaders on the frontlines are experiencing related to the workforce and what strategies they are using (or plan to use)…