Effect of professional guidelines on preop testing
Editor's Note The release of 2002 guidelines on preoperative testing by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, American College of Cardiology, and American Heart Association was associated with a reduction in routine ECG testing but not of x-rays, hematocrit, urinalysis, or cardiac stress testing, in this study. Because routine preoperative testing…
CMS extends ASC quality measure deadline until September 30
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has extended the deadline for submitting data for the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting Program until September 30, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association reports. This applies to the claims-based measures submitted via QualityNet and the Centers for Disease Control and…
Characteristics of hospitals penalized in HAC reduction program
Editor's Note Among hospitals participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, those penalized the most had more quality accreditations, offered more advanced services, were major teaching institutions, and had better performance on other process and outcome measures. The findings suggest that the approach CMS…
Potholes, speed bumps on road to quality reporting
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are moving forward with quality reporting, adding a series of new measures this year while continuing to build a national database of performance levels on earlier measures. Now that they have experience with reporting safe surgery checklist use (ASC 6) and volume of selected procedures (ASC…
ASCA issues quality reporting alert for ASCs
Editor's Note The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association on July 7 posted a quality reporting alert that provides instructions on required reporting that all Medicare-certified ASCs must submit to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ASC Quality Reporting Program by August 15. ASCs must report on five measures (ASC-6 through…
Association between hospital performance and surgical quality
Editor's Note In this study, researchers found a significant association between patient satisfaction scores and surgical quality measures. Of 180 hospitals, the overall mean patient satisfaction score was 68% (lowest quartile, 59%; highest quartile, 77%). Patients treated in hospitals in the highest quartile had significantly lower risks of death, failure…
At Risk Care Plans: A Way to Reduce Readmissions and Adverse Events
Our Take This article describes an “At Risk Care Plan,” the goal of which is to improve safety and quality care by anticipating individual safety and care needs of patients at risk and to communicate those needs to the health care team. This intervention has reduced hospital readmissions, costs, and…
Spending bill in House would end funding for AHRQ
The House Appropriations Committee has approved a draft budget for fiscal 2016 that would terminate funding for HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The proposal would also cut funding for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Just last week, AHRQ announced plans to…
Using more robust data leads to better outcomes
Many perioperative services leaders still struggle to get meaningful data on what influences the success or failure of a surgical patient. One resource that’s readily available and has a proven track record is the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). “NSQIP has shown that the…
Research projects potential cost savings with wider use of MIS
Though minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is associated with lower postoperative complication rates, little is known about the cost savings resulting from the reduced rates. Researchers led by Martin Makary, MD, professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, designed a study to calculate the projected cost savings…
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