Editor's Note Perioperative leaders are reshaping how surgical care is delivered, making pragmatic adjustments in the face of supply shortages, staffing constraints, and shifting surgical volume toward ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Together, the latest three OR Manager pulse polls reveal a profession managing high stakes with a mix of caution,…

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The migration of surgical cases from inpatient settings to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continues to reshape perioperative leadership in 2025. Nationally, the trend is driven by payer incentives, patient preference, and cost pressures, with ASCs now performing more orthopedic, spine, and complex outpatient procedures than ever before. In fact, the…

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Editor's Note: This page is a companion page to the main article, "Survey: Staffing problems increase as surgical volume continues to rise."   Most OR leaders (81%) report having a business manager. Historically, fewer than half had this position (42% in 2024, 37% in 2023, and 43% in 2022). The…

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About the survey Data for the Career/Salary Survey were collected from April 1 to June 27, 2025. The list comprised ASC administrators who were either OR Manager subscribers or part of an external list. The survey closed with 90 responses. The margin of error is ±5 percentage points at the…

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Editor's Note Dozens of companies are racing to stake a claim in the rapidly expanding surgical robotics market, with multiple launches, partnerships, and regulatory milestones signaling a pivotal moment for the field. Challengers to established leaders are advancing soft tissue systems, targeting specialty niches, and building executive teams to scale…

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Healthcare has never been static, but today’s perioperative leaders face a unique challenge: steering teams through volatility, complexity, and rapid disruption. In a recent OR Manager webinar, Phyllis Quinlan, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, executive coach, nurse entrepreneur, and longtime advocate for caregiver resilience, offered a candid roadmap for change management in…

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Editor's Note The NCLEX pass rate for RNs fell sharply in early 2025, but many nurse leaders see the drop as temporary rather than cause for alarm, Becker’s Hospital Review August 12 reports. The first-quarter pass rate declined to 71.6%, compared with 79.1% in the same period of 2024. The…

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Editor's Note The proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to eliminate the Medicare Inpatient Only (IPO) list over 3 years could significantly expand opportunities for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), with rural facilities among those positioned to benefit most, Ambulatory Surgery Center News August 12 reports. The…

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Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) released its v44 Standards, introducing new guidance designed to strengthen patient-focused care, streamline compliance, and align with evolving state regulations, an August 18 AAAHC announcement reports. As detailed in the news release, the v44 Standards, effective December 16, 2025, were…

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By 2022, orthopedic procedures performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) were already outpacing expectations. For years, total hip and knee replacements were considered too complex for same-day surgery. Yet, total joints replacement volumes jumped nearly 200% between 2020 and 2022—outpatient total knee arthroplasty surged nearly 194%, while total hip arthroplasty…

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