Outpatient facilities differ in colonoscopy quality
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, calculated a risk-adjusted outcomes measure of outpatient colonoscopy, which shows important variation in quality among outpatient facilities. The outcomes measure profiles outpatient facility quality by examining rates of unplanned hospital visits in the 7 days after colonoscopy.…
Large-scale implementation of surgical safety checklist linked with perioperative safety
Editor's Note This large-scale initiative, led by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, to implement surgical safety checklists in 13 South Carolina hospitals was associated with improved staff perceptions of perioperative safety. Included were improved staff perceptions of: mutual respect clinical leadership assertiveness on behalf of safety…
Readmissions associated with hospital characteristics
Editor's Note Select hospital characteristics are associated with readmissions after major surgical procedures, this study finds. After adjusting for patient factors, rural location was predictive of readmission after colectomy. Low-volume and minority-serving hospitals were associated with greater odds of readmission after total joint arthroplasties. Because financial penalties may worsen performance…
Improved surgical outcomes in ACS NSQIP hospitals
Editor's Note Participation in the American College of Surgeons, National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) is associated with a reduction in postoperative adverse events, and the magnitude of quality improvement increases with time in the program, this study finds. Hospitals in the ACS NSQIP program for at least 3…
CMS announces ASC quality reporting appeals process
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on December 16 announced that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) subject to a reduction in Medicare outpatient payments in CY 2016 because of noncompliance with the ASC quality reporting program may submit a request for reconsideration by March 17, 2016. Eligible…
Early results suggest merits of enhanced recovery after surgery
Nurses, surgeons, and anesthesia providers all have one main goal for patients undergoing surgery—a smooth recovery that returns patients to their daily lives as quickly as possible. Some healthcare providers have adopted enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols as a strategy for meeting that goal, and preliminary research suggests merits…
Nurse leaders play pivotal role in implementing enhanced recovery programs
Frequently OR leaders are at the forefront of implementing enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols. They have the skills to facilitate implementation of ERAS and to dispel any misconceptions about it, says Donna Watson, MSN, RN, CNOR, FNP. Watson, director for Medtronic Health Systems Advantage in Boulder, Colorado, is an…
CMS expands quality data on Physician and Hospital Compare websites
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on December 10 updated its Physician and Hospital Compare websites to include new data and quality measures. Among the additions: performance scores on preventive care, diabetes, cardiovascular care, and patient safety for approximately 275 group practices and 40,000 individual healthcare…
Leapfrog announces top hospitals for quality and safety
Editor's Note The Leapfrog Group’s annual awards on hospital quality and patient safety recognized 98 top facilities for 2015. Out of the 98 facilities honored, 12 were children’s hospitals, 24 were rural hospitals, and 63 were urban hospitals. California, Massachusetts, and Maine had the most top hospitals on the list.…
CMS approves ambulatory surgery patient experience survey
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved the administration of an Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey. The voluntary survey, which will start in 2016, includes 37 questions that will collect information monthly about a patient’s experience…
Free Daily News
- 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