OR Manager Conference third place poster winner showcases impactful documentation, billing improvements of implants in orthopedic surgery
The poster presentations at the 2024 OR Manager Conference showcased exceptional perioperative initiatives, highlighting advancements and innovative practices. From streamlining documentation and optimizing billing processes to ensuring patient and staff safety in postanesthesia settings, the posters selected last year showed the ingenuity and dedication of healthcare professionals committed to excellence…
Analysis: Overuse of back surgeries costs Medicare $2 billion, risks patient safety
Editor's Note More than 200,000 unnecessary back surgeries were performed on older adults from 2019 to 2021, costing Medicare approximately $2 billion and exposing patients to avoidable risks, according to a November 14 analysis from the Lown Institute. The evaluation focused on spinal fusion, laminectomy, and vertebroplasty procedures, which are…
Countdown to OR Manager Conference: Key strategies for success adding complex spine procedures to ASCs
Editor's Note At last year’s OR Manager Conference, healthcare leader Karen Reiter, RN, CNOR, RNFA, CASC, shared her expertise on integrating complex spine procedures into ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). As the former administrator at DISC Surgery Center at Newport Beach and vice president of operations and payer management at TriasMD,…
Study: Spinal fusion failure more likely for diabetic patients
Editor's Note Lumbar spinal fusion procedures are significantly more likely to fail in individuals with diabetes, according researchers at The University of Toledo. According to a July 9 EurekAlert! report on the study, published in JBMR Plus, diabetic patients are already known to have a higher risk of infection from…
Survey: ASC volume rising amid limited staffing improvement
Takeaways • Compared to 2023, the percentage of respondents reporting an increase in open positions for RNs and STs, as well as increased turnover for RNs, remained stable, but fewer reported a drop in ST turnover. • The percentage of respondents reporting hiring more managers set a 9-year record. •…
Surgery-preventing spinal stimulation poised for FDA approval
Editor's Note A recent trial marks the last hurdle for researchers to request regulatory approval for a noninvasive alternative to spinal surgery, according to a May 20 report in MIT Technology Review. Onward Medical’s ACRex device delivers electrical stimulation to the spinal cord via two wired electrodes placed just below…
Study: Weight-loss drug semaglutide boosts repeat surgery risk
Editor's Note Popular weight-loss \ drug semaglutide could significantly increase risk for repeat operations patients with diabetes who undergo lumbar surgery. According to a May 8 report in Medscape Medical News, the findings are pending review for publication and reportedly provides the first evidence on the impact of semaglutide on…
US News & World Report best ASCs ranking now available
Editor's Note With the goal of helping patients choose if outpatient care is right for them and identify the right ambulatory surgery center (ASC) for their needs, US News & World Report unveiled on May 14 its inaugural ranking of the best ASCs in the US. Reportedly, “fewer than 15%…
Surgical site infections often caused by preexisting bacteria
Editor's Note Most healthcare-associated surgical site infections are not caused by pathogens acquired in the hospital, but by previously harmless bacteria already present on patients’ skin prior to being admitted, according to a study published April 10 in Science Translational Medicine. Surgical site infections account for the highest annual costs…
One patient’s recovery highlights benefits of outpatient endoscopic spine surgery
Editor's Note A 64-year-old patient sought a second opinion with Kern Singh, MD, an orthopedic surgeon, when told he needed a second spine surgery to address complications from a previous procedure. Dr Singh, director of spine surgery at Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH in Chicago, performs endoscopic spine surgery in the…
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