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Latest Issue of OR Manager
May 2025

Montana legislators' prior authorization reform push mirrors national trends

Editor's Note Montana legislators are moving to restrict health insurers’ use of prior authorization as frustration over the practice mounts nationwide, KFF News reported February 13. The outlet reports that two Democratic and Republican lawmakers have introduced or are drafting bills for the 2025 Montana Legislature to limit these insurer-mandated…

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By: Matt Danford
February 18, 2025
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States push to expand nurse practice authority

Editor's Note Recent legislative efforts in Florida and Mississippi aim to expand the authority of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with measures that would remove supervisory requirements and allow independent practice for certain nurse practitioners. The efforts underscore an ongoing, nationwide debate over the role of APRNs in addressing provider…

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By: Matt Danford
February 18, 2025
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Oregon bill seeks to ban AI from using ‘nurse’ title amid patient safety concerns

Editor's Note Only humans should be called nurses, argues Oregon State Representative Travis Nelson, a Portland Democrat and practicing nurse who recently introduced new legislation aiming to prevent the title from applying to artificial intelligence (AI) or any non-human entity. As detailed in a February 4 report from Nurse.org, House…

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By: Matt Danford
February 18, 2025
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Study: Mechanical heart valves outperform biological for long-term survival in middle-aged patients

Editor's Note Patients aged 50 to 70 undergoing heart valve replacement may benefit from mechanical valves over biological ones, according to a new study from the University of Bristol. Healthcare-in-Europe.com reported the news February 13. As detailed in the article, short-term outcomes between the two options were similar. However, mechanical…

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By: Matt Danford
February 14, 2025
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Study: Virtual reality reduces preoperative anxiety in heart surgery patients

Editor's Note Virtual reality (VR) may help older patients manage anxiety before open-heart surgery, according to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Medical Xpress covered the news February 12. According to the article, researchers found that immersive VR and tablet-based VR significantly lowered anxiety levels, offering a nonpharmacological alternative…

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By: Matt Danford
February 14, 2025
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CABG, TAVR drive hospital revenue despite cost variations

Editor's Note Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) generate the highest overall financial returns for US hospitals, despite not being the most profitable per procedure, according to a February 13 report in Cardiovascular Business. The article covers an analysis of Medicare data, published in…

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By: Matt Danford
February 14, 2025
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Rural hospital closures drive up surgical travel times and costs

Editor's Note Ongoing hospital closures are driving up travel times and out-of-pocket costs for rural Americans who need surgery, according to a February 12 report in HealthDay. Citing two recent studies published in Annals of Surgery and JAMA, respectively, the article details how rural hospital closures have forced more patients…

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By: Matt Danford
February 14, 2025
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Human trafficking in healthcare supply chains often underrecognized, expert argues

Editor's Note Although human trafficking’s infiltration into healthcare labor and supply chains is pervasive, many clinicians and other professionals remain unaware of the extent of the issue, according to a February 3 opinion piece in MedPage Today. While efforts have focused on identifying trafficking victims in clinical settings, healthcare organizations…

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By: Matt Danford
February 14, 2025
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Session: Anchors Away: 5 Strategies to Right-Size Your Inventory and Improve Supply Contracts

Editor's Note As executive director of the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM), Michael Schiller, CMRP, gets regular insight into strategies employed by healthcare organizations, suppliers, technology leaders and frontline staff—insight he was happy to share with OR business Management Conference attendees in a February 11 presentation.…

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By: Matt Danford
February 13, 2025
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Closing Keynote: Trimming the Sails: Improving Perioperative Efficiency by Managing Same-Day Admission Transitions

Editor's Note Attendees to the 2025 OR Business Management Conference gained new insight with an international flavor from Moustafa Bleik and Fadi Fares, who had flown all the way from Saudi Arabia to detail recent improvements at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center. In a session with multiple audience…

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By: Matt Danford
February 13, 2025
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