Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on May 4 released comprehensive ambulatory surgery center (ASC) quality data reports compiled through its Ambulatory Surgery Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) program. Among the data reported are: Quality data code-based measures, such as wrong site, side, patient, procedure, implant Safe…

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Editor's Note Hand and arm surgical procedures can be completed safely in the outpatient setting at a freestanding ambulatory surgery center (ASC), this study finds. In this retrospective review of nearly 29,000 cases performed at a freestanding ASC over an 11-year period, there were 58 adverse events, for an overall…

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The rare but very serious condition of malignant hyperthermia (MH) remains a risk at all surgical facilities, including ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). MH occurs in about one in 50,000 adults under anesthesia, and one in about 12,000 children, which translates to one or two deaths annually in the United States.…

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Each year, 3 million Americans have cataracts removed, according to the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). Between the aging population and the increasing number of cataract procedures being performed, it’s not surprising that ophthalmology has led the way in specialties that are moving to the outpatient setting.…

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Editor's Note Large numbers of pediatric patients have tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies (T&As) in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) despite higher rates of complications in younger patients and patients with more comorbidities, this study finds. In this retrospective review, researchers from Stanford University, Stanford, California, analyzed 115,214 children having T&As in hospitals,…

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Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery center (ASC) and car wash owners urged Connecticut lawmakers to roll back taxes they imposed last year to help balance the state’s budget, the March 9 The Republic reports. Owners say the taxes are a burden and predict establishments that operate on slim margins will close. An…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are collaborating on an initiative designed to adapt, enhance, and disseminated CDC guidelines on infection prevention in ambulatory health care settings. The initiative, “Adaptation and Dissemination of Outpatient Infection PrevenTion (ADOPT) Guidance,” will focus on free-standing…

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Editor's Note Total hips can be performed safely and effectively on an outpatient basis, finds a study presented March 3 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. The analysis included 549 patients who had mini-posterior arthroplasties at an ASC from 2008 to 2014 and were discharged…

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Editor's Note Obtaining organs from deceased donors in a freestanding facility dedicated to organ recovery costs much less and leads to higher numbers of transplantable organs, this study finds. Researchers evaluated 6 years of data from the nation’s first freestanding organ recovery facility located in St Louis and owned and…

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Editor's Note Capnographic monitoring during outpatient colonoscopy with moderate sedation increased costs significantly and did not improve patient safety or satisfaction, this study finds. The analysis included 966 patients (465 without and 501 with capnography) who underwent colonoscopy at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. Patients and nurses reported…

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