OR Business
Editorial
The shift toward value-based payment has gained some momentum with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) July 25 announcement of a proposed cardiac bundled payment model. Under the proposal, 98 randomly selected metropolitan areas would become accountable for the cost and quality of care related to coronary artery…
Preventing a cyber attack takes commitment--and money
Information technology (IT) has been a lifesaver and a timesaver in healthcare, bringing speed and precision to medical-surgical procedures and replacing paperwork with electronic computation, storage, and communication. But there is a dark side. Systems can be sabotaged, files can be opened, and devices used in surgery can fail at…
Survey finds little change in ASC leader compensation, satisfaction
Leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are seeing little to no growth in salary, even through most are experiencing higher surgical volumes, according to the OR Manager 2016 Salary/Career Survey. The average annual salary was $104,721, slightly more than the $102,051 in 2015, but the average total compensation was down…
Study: Hospital readmissions sometimes save lives
Editor's Note Analyzing data on nearly 4,500 acute-care facilities, Johns Hopkins researchers found that the hospitals with the highest rates of readmissions were more likely to show better mortality scores. Data on mortality and hospital readmissions used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sometime fail to tell…
Trends in mortality, length of stay, hospital charges associated with HAIs
Editor's Note In this study of patients discharged from two tertiary-quaternary hospitals and one community hospital, researchers found no appreciable or consistent improvement in hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), mortality, or length of stay from 2006 and 2012. During this time, total charges declined by 11% for bloodstream infection and 13% for…
Joint Commission’s releases top five challenging requirements
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on August 31 released its top five most challenging requirements for the first half of 2016. The top five requirements cited most frequently as “not compliant” for hospitals during surveys and reviews from January 1 through June 30 are: 66% EC.02.06.01 The hospital establishes and…
Orthopedic implant market to hit $6.2 billion
Editor's Note The global orthopedic implant market is predicted to hit $6.2 billion by 2024, the August 26 Becker’s Spine Review reports. Factors that will impact the market: A growing number of geriatric patients and sports injuries will drive market growth. The cost and unfavorable reimbursements of implants will hinder…
FDA, device manufacturers make deal on user fees
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration and medical device manufacturers have made a deal on user fees companies pay to have the FDA review their products, the August 23 Mass Device reports. The Medical Device User Fee & Modernization Act IV will allow the FDA to collect nearly $1…
CMS: ICD-10 grace period ends October 1
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 18 announced in its FAQ guidelines that the 1-year grace period for claims using the ICD-10 code set will end October 1. Healthcare organizations will be required to use the correct degree of specificity when coding claims. Unspecified…
Data breach at pain clinic affects almost 900,000 people
Editor's Note Phoenix-based Valley Anesthesiology and Pain Consultants sent notices to nearly 900,000 individuals, including patients, current and former employees, and providers, of a data breach after an unauthorized third party may have gained access to its computer systems in March, the August 15 Becker’s Health IT & CIO Review…
Free Daily News
- Study: ERAS protocol reduces opioid use after cardiac surgery
- Study: Prehabilitation reduces surgical complications, speeds recovery
- Commentary: Studies show how surgeon decisions follow the money
- Proposed HIPAA updates would improve cybersecurity, increase costs for healthcare providers
- Study: EMR data can enhance hand hygiene compliance, infection prevention
- Study: Machine learning model improves perioperative pain assessment
- Call for improved suicide risk screening in ASCs aims to strengthen safety protocols
- Study: Perioperative pregabalin reduces risk of kidney decline compared to gabapentin
- Medical school diversity declines after Supreme Court ruling
- Surgeons risk losing ground as transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions rise