Regulations/Legal
ASC legislation introduced in Senate
Editor's Note This week, US Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2015, which is intended to preserve patient access to ASCs, The ASC Association reports. The Act would: Fix a flaw that allows Medicare to use different measures of inflation for ASCs…
Editorial asks if surveillance cameras in ASCs are a good idea
Editor's Note A proposed law would require ASCs and hospitals to install surveillance cameras in their ORs. Whether they are a good idea or not depends on why they are there, according to an editorial in Outpatient Surgery Magazine. If they are intended to enhance performance and find out why…
Security issues prompt FDA to extend UDI deadlines
Editor's Note Security issues have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to extend the deadline from September 24 to October 24, 2015, for filing required data and labeling information for the Unique Device Identification system (UDI). The extension applies to implantable life-supporting and life-sustaining devices as well as Class III…
Florida House looking to revive debate on overnight ASC stays
Editor's Note After the Florida Senate blocked a bill this year to let patients stay overnight at ASCs, the House likely will renew the debate in 2016, Health News Florida reports. The issue has been part of a collection of proposals that House Republican leaders say would provide more choices…
US Senate passes Electronic Health Fairness Act
Editor's Note The US Senate on August 5 passed the Electronic Health Fairness Act of 2015 (S 1347), which was heavily promoted by the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. The legislation protects physicians practicing in ASCs from Medicare meaningful use penalties until a certified electronic health record technology is available for…
Surgical resident work hours reform does not improve patient safety
Editor's Note Work-hour restrictions for surgical resident, revised nationally 4 years ago to protect patients against fatigue-related errors, have not had the desired effect of lowering postoperative complication rates, according to this new study. Researchers from the American College of Surgeons found no significant difference in surgical outcomes between 1…
You can't say that: Using social media in the healthcare setting requires sound judgment
It is hard to have tea with a friend or brag about a school soccer victory without involving social media. What was once a private or family matter no longer seems real until it is texted, posted, or even turned into a movie. Healthcare organizations, including ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs),…
Turn OR staff into 'legal eagles' to track unusual occurrences
Adverse events occur in the best of ORs, but, of course, the goal is to prevent them whenever possible. One strategy used in surgical services at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, is to turn staff into “legal eagles” who go beyond reporting adverse events after they occur to…
Early action advisable to prepare for new alarm safety standards
Walk into any patient care unit—whether preoperative, intraoperative, or postoperative—and you will hear numerous alarm signals. Some are signaling a medical necessity, but many are false alarm noises that do not require action. Health care workers can hear several hundred alarm signals per patient per day, which may cause alarm…
New CMS guidelines suggest changes in advance directive policies
Ambulatory surgery patients who become incapacitated should have their wishes for care honored, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stresses in its new guidelines. Previously, the guidelines permitted an ambulatory surgery center (ASC), for reasons of conscience or policy, to refuse to honor advance directives calling for cessation…
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