Global adoption of robotics technology has exploded in healthcare institutions, promising a less invasive and more precise means of conducting procedures. Although hospitals command the largest share of this market, analysts predict that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) will adopt this technology at a rapid clip. Robotics technology has changed greatly…

Read More

Editor's Note The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a substantial decline in cardiac surgery volume and an unexplained increase in deaths after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), finds this study presented January 30 at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). Researchers from the University of California,…

Read More

Editor's Note This study by researchers from Harvard Medical School, Boston, on data from 16.7 million insured individuals, shows that 30.1% of total outpatient visits early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March 18-June 16, 2020) were conducted via telemedicine, and weekly telemedicine visits were 23 times higher, compared with the pre-COVID-19…

Read More

Editor's Note The most recent Mental Health Index produced by Total Brain and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions finds that employee mental health has plummeted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with workers reporting a 48% increased risk of depression in November and December, according to the…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on January 20, announced that data collection for a new standardized performance measure assessing a patient’s functional and health status postoperatively will be required for the Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement (THKR) program. Organizations will be required to assess a patient’s…

Read More

The 2021 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS)/ASC Final Payment Rule was released on December 1, 2020, and became effective as of January 1, 2021. Gina Throneberry, MBA, RN, CASC, CNOR, director of education and clinical affairs, Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), summarized the status of Medicare regulations and…

Read More

Editor's Note This study from the Netherlands found that the added value of using chest CT in addition to RT-PCR to screen patients for COVID-19 before surgery was limited. Of 2,093 preoperative patients without COVID-19 symptoms analyzed, 1,224 were screened by CT and RT-PCR and 869 by chest CT only.…

Read More

Now that facilities are returning to performing urology cases, what should staff be aware of regarding COVID-19 and urology in general? This was the question Lane Jacobs, an expert in global product solutions for Boston Scientific, Marlborough, Massachusetts, asked Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, president and chief executive officer, Ofstead &…

Read More

The latest surge of COVID-19 cases has put many hospitals in a precarious position, with shortages of staff, space, and supplies. Lessons learned earlier in the pandemic cannot necessarily shore up systems that have been overwhelmed with patients. Throughout most of 2020, some patients postponed medical or surgical care. When…

Read More

Editor's Note In a November 23 letter to federal government leaders, the American College of Surgeons (ACS), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) asked officials “to act collectively and quickly in support of hospitals and healthcare providers as they continue to struggle in response…

Read More