Editor's Note The cost of COVID-19 hospital admissions increased at more than 5 times the rate of overall medical inflation as fewer patients died from the virus. The new study findings appeared in JAMA Network Open on January 3. The 26-percent increase in average costs to provide inpatient care occurred…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 37,700 from December 2023 to January 2024, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released on January 5. Overall, employment rose by 2.7 million in 2023 (an average monthly gain of 225,000), which is less than the…

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Editor's Note A survey of health system executives published January 4 by VMG Health finds that an increasing number are planning to expand into joint ventures with ambulatory surgery centers as they look to move more services from inpatient to outpatient facilities. The survey included 141 health system executives, including…

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Staff recruitment and retention is the top priority of OR leaders going into 2024, according to a November/December survey conducted by LeanTaaS in collaboration with OR Manager. Out of 84 respondents (some skipped), while 76% chose staff recruitment and retention, both improving operational efficiency (65%) and sustaining volume (36%) also…

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The concept of the hybrid OR was born in the 1990s, but healthcare institutions were originally slow to adopt the model due, in part, to the initial sizable investment required. While there was a steady uptick in adoption around 2008, today there are still only some 100 hybrid ORs in…

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An estimated 126.6 million Americans are dealing with the impact of a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition, according to a US Bone and Joint Initiative report. That means, one in two adults in the US have gone or will be going through a wide range of hip, knee, shoulder, and/or spine procedures.…

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Whitman Partners, a firm that specializes in director of surgical services recruitment, emerged out of the 2008 financial crisis as an example of adaptability and resilience in healthcare staffing. Today, the firm places close to 200 OR directors annually in hospitals across the US. OR Manager sat down with Josiah…

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Editor's Note Supply chain professionals can contribute to a more affordable, equitable health care system by spending more with suppliers in economically disadvantaged areas; expanding distribution into in-home care; and leveraging data and technology. According to a November 28 report in Healthcare Purchasing News, these were among the conclusions of…

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Editor's Note The US House of Representatives may vote this week on The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. Introduced September 8, the proposed act aims to boost healthcare pricing transparency so consumers can make more informed decisions. Key elements include: Hospitals, payers, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and other facilities would…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 76,800 from November to December, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released on December 8. That is compared to the average monthly gain of 240,000 over the prior 12 months, for a total of 17,213,900 seasonally…

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