Imagine this scenario in your ambulatory surgery center (ASC): A husband and wife in their early 80s arrive for the husband’s knee replacement surgery. His wife will drive him home after surgery, and their daughter will arrive from out of state the next day to help at home while he…

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Editor's Note A bipartisan group of 24 US Representatives sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, MD, on May 26 asking him to use his statutory authority to move ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) from the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) to…

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Editor's Note The Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2017 (HR 1838/S 1001) has added new cosponsors in the US House of Representatives and was introduced in the Senate, the May 23 Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) News Digest reports. Many of the cosponsors signed on as a…

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Editor's Note The US House of Representatives on May 4 passed the American Health Care Act with 217 yes votes; 216 was the number needed. The bill now moves to the Senate. The House Republicans passed the American Health Care Act with a slim majority on Thursday. The bill gives…

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Even before Trump took office, Congress was planning to prepare ACA repeal legislation by January 27. It looked as though action could be swift once key members of the new administration took office. However, The Washington Post’s report of a January 26 meeting of Republican lawmakers indicated they were far…

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Editor's Note The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed two e-learning modules on informed consent that will be available through the Joint Commission’s learning management system for continuing education credit. The modules, which are available for free: help hospital leaders provide guidance on developing policies and ensuring…

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Editor's Note Nursing remains the most-trusted profession in Gallup’s annual honesty and ethical standards survey for the 15th year in a row. A total of 84% of respondents rated nurses’ honesty and ethical standards as high or very high. Pharmacists and physicians were second and third in the ratings at…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) has developed a pediatric surgical risk calculator based on 181,353 cases covering 382 CPT codes across all specialties. It was found to have excellent discrimination for mortality, morbidity, and seven additional complications. The calculator can be…

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Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) must comply with nondiscrimination requirements in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act by October 19, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association announced on September 28. The Act prohibits sex discrimination and requires language assistance for those with limited English proficiency and effective communication for…

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Editor's Note Physicians are trying to adapt privacy concerns and requirements to meet patient requests that electronic health record (EHR) data be sent to their mobile apps, including fitness trackers, according to a report in the July 7 Healthcare IT News. Meaningful use and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization…

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