The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) develops conditions of participation (CoPs) and Conditions for Coverage (CfCs) that healthcare organizations must meet in order to participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Payers, including government payers, require facility certification or accreditation for reimbursement. “Reimbursement is the critical piece,” says Becky…

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Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has updated its 2017 guidelines for preoperative fasting and the use of pharmacologic agents to reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration. The new 2023 guidance focuses on topics not addressed in the previous guideline, including ingestion of carbohydrate-containing clear liquids with or…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, finds that patients participating in an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) program were prescribed significantly fewer opioids at discharge, compared to patients before ERAS was instituted. A total of 3,983 patients were included (1,929 pre-ERAS and 2,054 post-ERAS).…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 10 announced that it had recently issued two warning letters to Olympus Medical Systems Corporation and one of its subsidiaries, Aizu Olympus Co, Ltd, after facility inspections. The letters addressed violations related to medical device reporting (MDR) requirements and quality…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds that the introduction and removal of Michigan’s executive order curtailing elective surgery during COVID-19 lagged behind the ramp-down and ramp-up of elective surgery volume. Hospitals had already achieved a 91.7% reduction in case volume before the executive order…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 10 announced that it had elevated the Leadership (LD) Standard LD.04.03.08, which addresses healthcare disparities as a quality and safety priority, to a National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG), effective July 1, 2023. Current requirements for accreditation will not change, and the intent behind…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds that scrub color is a valuable identification tool, and it is associated with patients’ perceptions of surgeons. An electronic survey was administered to patients and visitors at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel…

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Editor's Note This study, led by researchers at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, finds that a liberal preoperative fasting policy allowing adults scheduled for general anesthesia to drink clear fluids until arrival in the OR was associated with reduced fasting duration and improved patient well-being with regard…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, finds that postoperative opioid prescriptions written by advanced practice clinicians (APCs), defined as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, had higher total dosages compared with those written by surgeons. A total of 628,197 surgical procedures involving 581,387 adults…

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According to the 2022 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey, many ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are facing a critical shortage of surgical technologists (STs). The percentage of leaders reporting an increase in the number of ST open positions jumped from 22% in 2020 and 28% in 2021 to 42% in 2022, and…

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