Study: Clean paper towels match or exceed sterile options in surgical hand antisepsis
Editor's Note A study published July 9 in the American Journal of Infection Control found that clean paper towels are as effective—and in some cases more efficient—than sterile alternatives for surgical hand antisepsis. The results support their use as a cost-saving and safe alternative to sterile hand-drying products in surgical…
Bad debt climbs as patient defaults, denials impact hospital revenue growth
Editor's Note Bad debt—payments hospitals expected to collect but ultimately had to write off—is increasing across hospitals as patients struggle to pay their share of healthcare costs and insurers raise the rate of claim denials, Modern Healthcare reported June 19. Citing a Kaufman Hall analysis of data from about 700…
CMS takeover of 340B looms as some health systems double down on drug discount strategy
Editor's Note The federal 340B Drug Pricing Program may soon shift from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a move that could bring tighter oversight and lasting consequences for safety-net providers, Modern Healthcare June 2 reports. The proposed transfer, part…
FDA launches effort to identify, slash outdated healthcare regulations under 10-to-1 rule
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have launched a public Request for Information (RFI) to identify and eliminate outdated healthcare regulations, according to a May 13 press release from the FDA. The move supports a broader federal deregulatory…
Medtech giants move fast to blunt tariff impact without raising prices
Editor's Note Medtech companies are scrambling to contain the financial damage from rising tariffs without passing costs onto hospitals, according to a May 2 report in Modern Healthcare. Executives from industry leaders including Johnson & Johnson, GE HealthCare, and Intuitive Surgical outlined mitigation efforts during recent earnings calls, with most…
ASCA 2025: Leading lawmaker reflects on surgery center priorities
Editor's Note At the 2025 Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) conference, discussion of legislative priorities extended beyond educational sessions. Thanks to a visit from the ranking lawmaker of the congressional subcommittee responsible for most healthcare policymaking, attendees also got first-hand insight into the latest negotiations on Capitol Hill. US Representative…
Same-day discharge after catheter ablation gains backing from top cardiology societies
Editor's Note Same-day discharge following catheter ablation is both safe and increasingly standard in appropriately selected patients, according to a new joint scientific statement from the Heart Rhythm Society and the American College of Cardiology, TCTMD April 24 reports. The statement reflects growing evidence and clinical experience suggesting that, with…
Rethinking OR routines reduces waste, costs while protecting environment
Editor's Note For some surgeons, treating patients goes hand-in-hand with healing the environment. Consider an April 23 report in Medical Xpress. Detailing sustainability efforts at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center by pediatric surgeon Ami Shah, MD, and her colleague Brian Gulack, MD, the article showcases how rethinking everyday surgical routines…
Cardiology efficiency, orthopedic revenue surge as ASCs navigate growing complexity
Editor's Note HST Pathways’ most recent industry report, discussed on the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast by HST CEO David Thawley and Bill Prentice, CEO of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), offers insights into cardiology and orthopedic procedures done in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in 2024, Ambulatory Surgery Center News…
Hospital’s anesthesia reforms slash carbon footprint, expenses
Editor's Note Universitätsmedizin Berlin reduced anesthesia-related carbon emissions by more than 80% since 2018 by eliminating high-impact anesthetic gases, implementing education initiatives, and revising clinical guidelines, according to a February 27 report in Medical Xpress. The hospital’s efforts targeted desflurane, an anesthetic gas with an extreme climate impact—nearly 8,000 times…
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