On Dec. 29, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it will award all 50 U.S. states funding under its Rural Health Transformation (RHT) program “to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities across the country.” The initiative is intended to provide what the government estimates is…

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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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Effective communication is the foundation of patient safety in the modern surgical environment. Most surgical procedures depend on seamless collaboration among surgeons, nurses, surgical technologists, and anesthesiologists, and when communication breaks down, patient risk rises sharply. In 2024, the American College of Surgeons reported standardized surgical handoffs improved adherence to…

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Pinpoint accuracy in surgical technique has advanced beyond what many ever thought possible. Unfortunately, such refinements have been slower to reach the perioperative business front. OR leaders often rely on vague metrics and educated guesses to guide their teams. Ambient artificial intelligence (AI) is changing that. When integrated with data…

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Volunteering is, at its core, about giving back. Yet many volunteer opportunities also create pathways to elevate one’s career and professional identity. At the American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification, Inc (ABPANC), nurse volunteers grow both personally and professionally, gaining new knowledge, forming connections, and finding renewed purpose and emotional…

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