At many ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), “doing more with less” is an existential situation. Can artificial intelligence (AI) help alleviate the situation? That’s what Emily Spooner, president and owner of ASC consulting and management firm Marisa Consulting, will explore in her session “AI-powered insights to boost efficiency and margins in…

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At October’s 2025 OR Manager Conference, accreditation and regulatory compliance consultant John R. Rosing, MHA, LFACHE, vice president and principal at Patton Healthcare Consulting, advised perioperative leaders to be up to speed with the latest requirements in The Joint Commission's Accreditation 360: The New Standard. This update, released in June…

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In any OR, a combustible combination of personalities and stressful situations can set off a chain of reactions that can at best lengthen surgeries or hurt feelings and at worst jeopardize patient safety and outcomes. As a board-certified neurosurgeon at Longstreet Clinic in Gainesville, Ga., Betsy Grunch, MD, FAANS, FACS,…

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It is no long best practice to deliver education via a traditional lecture with PowerPoint slides or an unimaginative online learning module. “These techniques are boring and not effective,” says Beverly Kirchner, MSN, BSN, RN, CNOR(E), CASC, chief compliance officer for SurgeryDirect, LLC. “Staff just listen or read the information,…

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When it comes to treating chronic pain—or pain associated with surgery—clinicians are always looking for alternatives to opioids. “There are zero advantages to chronic opioid use,” says Earl Kilbride, MD, MHA, an orthopedic surgeon at the Austin Orthopedic Institute. While the US makes up about 4.4% of the global population,…

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Robotic surgery has moved from cutting-edge to commonplace. The question is no longer whether to use robotics but when to introduce it and how to ensure adoption is efficient, affordable, and seamless for surgical teams. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are increasingly adding robotics to their service lines, driven by the…

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Office-based surgery (OBS) is one of the fastest-growing care settings in the US. From ophthalmology and dermatology to gastroenterology and even orthopedics, more procedures once limited to hospitals or ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are now being performed in medical office suites. Among many factors, the growth is being fueled by…

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Stress and burnout are more than workforce concerns; they are patient safety issues. Research shows a clear correlation between healthcare provider stress and medical errors. For instance, Zabin et al, a 2023 systematic review, confirmed that job stress negatively influences patient safety culture. Garcia & Abreu et al, a separate…

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As hospitals and surgical services face an acute nursing shortage, the sustainability of the perioperative workforce continues to be a pressing concern. Several projections show the nursing workforce in the US—as well as globally—remains under strain while surgical demand shows no sign of slowing down. The American Association of Colleges…

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Perioperative leaders face a workforce transition unlike any in recent memory. By 2030, all baby boomers will have reached retirement age, and many veteran perioperative nurses are already exiting, taking with them decades of institutional knowledge. At the same time, the expectations of today’s workforce have shifted, placing greater value…

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