Editor's Note This study from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, examines the association between long-standing poverty and postoperative outcomes. The analysis included 335, 595 patients who underwent lung resection, colectomy, coronary artery bypass grafting, or lower extremity joint replacement, and who were categorized according to the duration…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, examines the association between intraoperative opioid administration and postoperative pain and opioid use. A total of 61, 249 surgical patients were included in the analysis. The researchers found that increased intraoperative: fentanyl and…

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Editor's Note This study from researchers at Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates and SpineFirst, Atrium Health, Charlotte, North Carolina, examines the cost-utility of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) performed in an ASC vs an inpatient hospital setting at 1-year follow-up.  A total of 6,504 patients having 1-to 2-level ACDF…

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Editor's Note ECRI, on August 2, announced the 12 winners of its 2023 Healthcare Supply Chain Excellence Award. The annual award recognizes healthcare organizations that achieve excellence in overall spend management and adoption of best practice solutions into their supply chain processes. The winners in alphabetical order are: Adventist Health…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Good Samaritan Medical Center, Brockton, Massachusetts, and Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, examines the clinical outcomes and costs of robotic and open ventral hernia repairs. A total of 675 open and 609 robotic ventral hernia repairs were included in the analysis.…

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Editor's Note This Canadian study finds a 1.5-fold increase in costs in the year after major, elective noncardiac surgery for patients with preoperative frailty. A total of 171,576 patients (23,219 with preoperative frailty) were included in the analysis. Unadjusted costs were higher for frail patients. After adjusting for confounders, an…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, finds that telemedicine use is associated with lower direct medical costs. A total of 2,938 outpatient department visits and 20,204 office-based visits were included in the analysis. Of these 47.6% of outpatient department and 24.7% of office-based visits…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) announced, on July 26, that it and 18 other surgical organizations sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), strongly opposing implementation of its code G2211. The G2211 code is an effort by CMS to pay more for…

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Takeaways • Healthcare consumers are not aware that they can ask how much something costs. • There is disconnect between the law and common knowledge, and patients generally are confused about what they receive as good faith estimates. • In addition to incorrect CPT codes and OON allowable charges, the…

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Editor's Note On July 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposal that would increase Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system rates by a net 2.8% in 2024 compared to 2023, including a “proposed 3% market basket update, offset by a 0.2% cut for productivity,” the…

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