Editor's Note  The number of Americans without health insurance coverage has hit a record low of 8% this year, exceeding the previous low of 9% in 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services July 3 reports. Since 2020, 5.2 million people have gained coverage, including 4 million adults and…

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ORs rebounding from the financial impact of COVID-19 are looking for ways to reduce expenses. With rising costs coming from all angles of the economy, some have adopted systemwide processes to reduce, streamline, and improve surgical instrumentation sets. Two major health systems, the Cleveland Clinic and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital…

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With inflation hitting yet another record-breaking high—9.1% at the time of publication—hospitals and health systems continue to contend with challenging supply chain disruptions that force leaders into a constant state of putting out fires. Supply chain issues are not new. But instead of having time to plan ahead and implement…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 15 released its Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule that would raise rates by a net 2.7% in CY 2023. This update is based on the projected hospital market basket percentage increase of 3.1%, reduced by 0.4%…

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Editor's Note The healthcare software company Epic has been seeing an upward trend in its revenue, reporting “double-digits [growth] every year for the last decade,” Becker’s Health IT June 13 reports. Citing CB Insights and Forbes, Becker’s noted that Epic’s revenue grew by 13% in 2021 and hit $3.8 billion.…

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Editor's Note According to a report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), economic activity in the hospital subsector grew in June for the 25th consecutive month, Healthcare Purchasing News July 7 reports. Following are some observations, according to Nancy LeMaster, MBA, ISM chair for the Hospital Business Survey Committee:…

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Editor's Note A report compiled by healthcare consulting company Kaufman Hall, titled “National Hospital Flash Report: June 2022” and published on June 28, shows that US hospitals and health systems continue to “perform below pre-pandemic levels,” the American Hospital Association (AHA) June 28 reports. The report analysis is based on…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission reported on June 1 that a new independent study of 161 Joint Commission-accredited ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) finds that for each dollar invested in accreditation, an organization has that dollar returned along with an additional $6.28 in benefits. Key areas of financial return include: Revenue,…

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While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve with impacts shifting over time, some of the changes it brought to healthcare—specifically the OR—may be permanent. One trend it accelerated: the rise in new ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), which specialize in elective or same-day outpatient surgical procedures. While this trend was largely…

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Editor's Note In this wrap-up roundtable discussion, members of the conference planning committee Hazel Boyd, MBA, clinical operations manager at Boston Children’s Hospital; Sheila Stein, MSN, FNP, CNS, CNOR, robotics coordinator at Cayuga Medical Center; and Denise Waslo, MSN, RN, CNOR, CSSM, NE-BC, director of perioperative services at Long Island…

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