OR Business
ACS notifies members of CMS software errors
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on January 20 notified members that it had received a letter from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) saying new moderate sedation codes that took effect January 1 were incorrectly bundled into several surgical procedures codes in CMS payment software.…
Total joint PSH helps meet patient satisfaction goals
When leaders at Memorial Healthcare, a 154-bed community hospital in Owosso, Michigan, wanted to get a jump on preparing for bundled payments, they chose to focus on total hip and knee surgery. Creating a perioperative surgical home (PSH) for this patient population paid off in enhanced patient satisfaction and reductions…
Building a business case for new technology
OR leaders besieged by surgeons and others clamoring for the latest innovations must ensure that the business case for any new technology makes good sense both for patients and the organization’s bottom line. Building a strong business case requires careful assessment, clear writing, and a strong partnership with the finance…
Collaboration spells success for award winner
The inaugural Best in OR Business Award will be presented at the 2017 OR Business Management Conference in New Orleans on February 1. The award recognizes an individual who demonstrates strong business acumen with the ability to make complex logistical decisions, meet scheduling demands, think strategically, and focus on the bottom line.…
Reimbursement denials diminish with more precise precertification
With no increases in reimbursement on the healthcare horizon, the leadership team at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois, knew they needed to maximize revenue capture. The team, including Katrina Spears, MAOL, manager of business and informatics, used Lean methodology to improve precertification and reduce denials, resulting in…
Adding new business to the ASC, one procedure at a time—Part 1
An ambulatory surgery center (ASC) looking to expand its market may want to add new procedures, but only after careful consideration of resource investment versus ultimate benefit. In the first of a three-part series, OR Manager explores surgical specialties that appear to show promise for the outpatient setting. One of…
Care after surgery drives costs
Editor's Note This study finds that where surgical patients go after they are discharged varies widely, and that variation leads to huge differences in how much their care costs. Variation in postacute care spending between lowest and highest quintiles differed 129% for total hip replacement, 103% for coronary artery bypass…
Colorectal SSIs plummet with evidence-based care bundles
Surgical site infections (SSIs) not only harm patients, but also can squeeze a hospital’s bottom line through increased costs and reduced reimbursement. Patients undergoing colorectal surgery are particularly at risk for SSIs, according to data from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), but an effective multidisciplinary team and an evidence-based…
Surgical receipt raises quality standards, lowers costs
Increasing costs and shrinking margins have continued to pressure business managers and senior hospital leadership to rethink strategies for raising surgeons’ awareness of product and nonlabor costs within the OR. Often providers are asked to cut costs but are unaware of the actual costs of the products they use. In…
Huddles help hospitals move toward the goal
Like a football team gathering to confirm tactical details before a play, surgical staff often form a huddle to ensure readiness of the providers, patient, and equipment for the upcoming procedure. In a twist on the traditional huddle the day before surgery, staff at the Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC)…
Free Daily News
- Market volatility threatens hospitals’ liquidity as tariff-driven costs rise
- Study: CT scan radiation could drive 5% of future cancer cases
- New studies, surgical feats advance organ transplant medicine
- Commentary: Cyberattacks threaten financial survival of surgical practices
- Tariffs strain supply chains, split medical manufacturing community
- Study: Systemic gender bias embedded in surgical practice
- Literature review: Endoscope disinfection failures highlight need for stronger sterilization practices
- Study: GLP-1 drugs heighten risk of gastric residue but not perioperative pulmonary aspiration
- OAS CAHPS compliance soars to 96% among ASCs, vendor satisfaction also improves
- Knee surgical robot market set to surge, projected to reach $5.9B by 2032