New study benchmarks performance of ASCs
The impact of health care reform on ambulatory surgery centers (ASC)—like that on health care in general—is still uncertain. But plenty of other factors are at work that are likely to play a role in shaping the industry’s future. While the dramatic growth of the 1990s has largely abated, a…
Surgery is front and center in new Medicare value-based purchasing
This year, the quality movement takes a big step with the start of Medicare’s value-based purchasing (VBP) program. Beginning October 1, 2012, part of your hospital’s Medicare payments will be based on your hospital’s performance on a set of quality measures, usually referred to as the core measures and HCAHPS…
Surgery, nursing, and health care reform
David Goodman, MD, MS The rate of hip replacements in Boulder, Colorado, is more than 5 times higher than in Bryan, Texas, which has the lowest rate. Rates for knee replacements also vary widely, with Manhattan's rate only about one-fourth that of Lincoln, Nebraska. Many other types of surgery have…
Is your OR leadership team up to health care reform challenges?
First in a series on OR performance. How can you make progress on on-time starts? Are you attracting the right cases to meet your volume and revenue projections? How can you manage block utilization more consistently? The first answer to these persistent questions is good OR governance and a strong…
Device firms face tax, transparency
Two provisions of the health care reform law passed in March 2010 affect medical device companies. A 2.3% tax on companies' gross sales from medical devices starting in 2013 will help pay for reform. In addition, drug and device companies will have to publicly report gifts and payments made to…
What can we learn from Grand Junction?
Grand Junction, Colorado, about half way between Denver and Salt Lake City, is known for its dramatic red-rock country, mountain biking, river rafting, and other outdoor activities. With about 50,000 people, it's not a big population center, but it's become a big dot on the health care map. That's because…
For ORs, more pressure to perform
How health care reform will affect hospitals and other facilities will be unfolding for years. There will be some time to prepare. Under the sweeping reform law passed in March 2010, the major expansion in insurance coverage won't take effect until 2014. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the reform legislation…
High-value care in surgical services
How do we get to high-value health care—care that strikes the right balance between quality and cost? It's a question leaders will be facing as health care reform is implemented. What might that high value be like in surgical services? One place to look is Minnesota-based HealthPartners, a nonprofit integrated…
How will surgical services fare under health care reform law?
An orthopedic service line has seen its volume rise and complications and costs go down since its surgical services director and chief of orthopedic surgery took the helm. Together, they have found they can drive change. It's an example of new types of collaborative arrangements hospitals are exploring with physicians.…
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- Study: COVID-19's impact on oncological surgery offers lessons for future crises
- Study links pandemic stress to persistent increases in nursing-sensitive quality indicators
- Save the date for the 2025 OR Business Management Conference
- Study: Education, exercise improve knee OA with or without prior surgery
- Study: Early surgery outperforms endoscopy for long-term pancreatitis
- Study: Blood thinner, NSAID combination raises bleeding risk
- Hospital financial report predicts stability, high cybersecurity costs for 2025
- IV fluid shortage drives innovation in hospital hydration practices
- FDA Class 1 recalls target anesthesia workstations, ambulatory infusion pumps, ventilators
- Five leadership lessons from an ASC CEO