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 In this analysis of nearly 25,000 Medicare patients, mean total payments for bariatric surgical procedures varied from $11,000 to $13,000 per episode of care. The index hospitalization was responsible for 75% of total payments, followed by physician services (21%), and postacute care services (2.8%). As hospitals enter Medicare…

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Editor's Note Medical schools are beginning to teach students about healthcare costs and payment models as more patients enroll in high-deductible insurance plans and healthcare moves toward value-based care, according to a report by Kaiser Health News/KPCC/NPR. An Association of American Medical Colleges survey found that 129 of 140 responding…

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Editor's Note Postoperative readmissions occurred in more than 1 in 10 patients, in this study, with considerable variation across specialties. The majority of variation was attributable to patient-related factors (82.8%); surgical specialty accounted for 14.5% of the variability, and individual surgeon factors accounted for 2.8%. After adjusting for patient and…

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Editor's Note The release of 2002 guidelines on preoperative testing by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, American College of Cardiology, and American Heart Association was associated with a reduction in routine ECG testing but not of x-rays, hematocrit, urinalysis, or cardiac stress testing, in this study. Because routine preoperative testing…

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Editor's Note A survey of members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists on the level of responsibility they perceive stakeholders to have in reducing the cost of healthcare and perioperative care delivery found: physicians bear “major responsibility” (38%) physicians bear “some responsibility” (58%) physicians bear “no responsibility” (4%) hospitals bear…

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Editor's Note Including a health information exchange query into emergency department patient care could significantly reduce the number of tests ordered and reduce costs, finds this study. Efficient health information exchange was associated with a 52% reduction in lab tests and a 36% reduction in radiology exams per patient ordered…

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As payment models move from fee-for-service to value-based care, hospitals and healthcare systems are trying to reduce spending by 20% to 30% to maintain their budgets. Supply costs are usually the second largest expense after labor, and industry analysts predict they will take the top slot by 2020. In 2013,…

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Most OR leaders are talented nurses who have risen through the ranks. They have strong clinical expertise but usually little background in financial management. And only about a third of OR directors have a business manager on staff. Recently, senior leaders at Surgical Directions discussed the question, “What financial concepts…

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There are two ways to approach supply cost reduction. One is to minimize direct supply costs by optimizing product selection, controlling utilization, reducing waste, and negotiating more favorable prices. The other is to attack indirect supply costs driven by high inventories—the excess holding and labor costs associated with excessive supply…

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