Most OR leaders today are concerned about the growing problem of diabetes in surgical care. More than 30 million people in the US now have diabetes mellitus, and many studies have demonstrated its adverse impact on surgical outcomes. The challenge is translating this research into practice. Managing diabetes is always…

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Editor's Note Hospitals with better nursing work environments and above-average staffing levels were associated with better value (ie, lower mortality with similar costs), especially for higher risk patients, this study finds. The study included 25,752 elderly Medicare general surgery patients treated at 35 focal hospitals (mean nurse-to-bed ratio, 1.51) and…

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Editor's Note Septicemia was the most expensive condition treated in US hospitals in 2013, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Others in the top 20 most expensive were: osteoarthritis, 2nd complications of device, implant, or graft, 4th complications of surgical procedures or medical care, 13th hip fracture,…

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Editor's Note Moving to information systems and data requirements of the new value-based payment (VBP) reimbursement system is proving to be a daunting challenge for healthcare providers, the June 13 Health Data Management reports. A survey of healthcare executives from 190 hospitals shows that only 3% of respondents provide more…

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Editor's Note An analysis of US commercial health insurance claims found ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) reduce the cost of outpatient surgery by more than $38 billion per year compared to hospital outpatient departments, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association said in a June 14 report. The study, which included more than…

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Editor's Note Eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals, and professionals who did not achieve "meaningful use" in the Medicare Electronic Health Record Incentive Program for the 2015 reporting period have until July 1 to apply for a hardship exception from the 2017 payment adjustment.   The streamlined hardship applications reduce the…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an alert May 23 on newly excluded ICD diagnosis codes that will no longer be accepted starting January 7, 2017. The codes include: T88.8XXA (Other specified complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified, initial encounter) T88.8XXD (Other…

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Editor's Note New York City’s (NYC’s) 825-bed Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital will close in 4 years and be replaced by a much smaller 70-bed facility while expanding outpatient surgery, primary care, and behavioral health services, the May 25 New York Times reports. Officials blame the high cost of health…

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Editor's Note Vulnerable status of hospitals is linked to higher readmission rates after major cancer surgery, this study finds. Of 355 hospitals analyzed, safety net hospitals and high Medicaid hospitals had higher 30-day, 90-day, and repeated readmissions. The findings reinforce the need to account for socioeconomic variables in risk adjustments…

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Editor's Note Performing free colonoscopies for uninsured patients at high risk for colorectal cancer can identify cancers at an earlier stage and is cost neutral for a health system, this study finds. Of 682 uninsured patients screened, 9 cancers ( 1 stage 0, 3 stage I, 2 stage II, and…

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