Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital in Lakewood, Colo., has launched its Direct-to-Operating Room (Direct-to-OR) initiative, which allows caregivers to transport patients with penetrating injuries such as stabbings, shootings, or impalements directly from the ambulance bay or helipad to the OR, bypassing emergency department processes. The program is “designed to expedite lifesaving…
A new study by researchers at the University of Louisville, published this week in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, examined the perioperative outcomes of rural-dwelling patients undergoing lung and colon cancer surgeries in a rural facility ... and found no significant differences, save for a lot less…
Here’s the latest news on ASC facilities: New on-campus ASC coming to Clemson Leaders from MUSC Health and Clemson University joined to break ground on a state-of-the-art medical facility that they say will open on the school’s main campus in fall 2027. Designed to “deliver the highest-quality student health and…
A new peer-reviewed study published on Cureus finds that data-intensive machine learning is suitable for predicting the case durations of common surgical procedures at ASCs. The researchers – Franklin Dexter, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesiology at the University of Iowa; Brenda G. Fahy, MD, an anesthesiologist at the University of Florida;…
The 2026 OR Business Management Summit, a spirited gathering of perioperative business leaders across the full spectrum of surgical facilities, concluded yesterday in Austin, Texas, and the ASC leadership community’s strong presence at the event was evident and vital. A robust track of ASC-specific programming featured ASC leaders presenting, coaching…
A commentary by Bianca Blomquist, the California director for the Small Business Majority, titled “Hospitals’ opaque pricing is crushing California’s small businesses,” leads with this blunt statement: “Small business owners are working hard to keep their doors open while offering employees quality benefits, but rising healthcare costs are making that…
Interesting article posted by NPR/KFF Health News this week, titled “Hospitals are posting prices for patients. It's mostly industry using the data.” The article focuses on the Trump Administration’s desire for providers and insurers to post their prices to the public so healthcare consumers can shop and compare, and avoid…
Event brings together OR, business, ASC, PACU and SPD leaders by uniting the OR Manager Conference and OR Business Management Summit Rockville, MD – February 10, 2026 — Periop Leader Network, formerly OR Manager, today announced the launch of Periop Leader Week, a new national leadership event designed to empower…
WVNews reports that WVU Medicine United Hospital Center (UHC) broke ground last week on a two-story, 62,000-square-foot, $48 million outpatient surgery center on three acres adjacent to the hospital on its Bridgeport, W.Va., campus. “The outpatient surgery center will better position UHC to improve access to world-class surgery care and enhance…
According to a new study published in Health Affairs, prices rose 11% at ASCs after they were acquired by Optum, a sister company of UnitedHealthcare. Healthcare Dive has an analysis of the study. It reports that the price hikes are “probably because the newly acquired providers were able to negotiate higher…
