June poll results: How perioperative leaders are responding to tariffs and financial, supply chain pressures
The ongoing turbulence in global trade policy, particularly the re-escalation of tariffs on medical supplies from China and other countries, is weighing heavily on US healthcare operations. Sweeping US trade policy shifts this year are sparking great concern, but while 2025 has seen unprecedented tariff escalations and supply chain volatility,…
Healthcare finance leaders shift focus to external threats amid regulatory, economic uncertainty
Editor's Note A new Deloitte report shows healthcare finance leaders are increasingly focused on external business pressures, especially federal policy changes, tariffs, and economic volatility, Chief Healthcare Executive reported June 24. In contrast to prior surveys, where workforce and internal operations were top concerns, 84% of leaders now cite external…
Survey: Most nurses plan to stay despite financial, staffing, job satisfaction concerns
Editor's Note Financial strain, stress, and uncertainty are not enough to deter many US nurses from saying their education and careers have been worthwhile. That is one reading of the results of Nurse.org’s 2025 Nurse Survey, which collected responses from more than 6,000 US nurses between January and April. Overall,…
ASCs deliver lower costs but face uphill payment, regulatory challenges
Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continue to offer significant cost savings over hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), but payment inequities, regulatory constraints, and growing competitive pressures are straining operations and growth prospects. Recent data show wide cost differentials between settings, Becker’s ASC Review June 20 reports. A Blue Health Intelligence…
Major insurers pledge prior authorization reform
Editor's Note Nearly 50 major US health insurers—including UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Elevance, and Humana—have pledged to reform prior authorization practices, with the goal of easing administrative burdens and improving access to care, according to a June 23 article in Healthcare Dive. As detailed in the article, the announcement came from…
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…
Tariffs stir uncertainty in hospital supply chains, health insurance premiums
Editor's Note Recent reporting from Axios reveals hospitals and health insurers are reporting new concerns about rising tariffs and trade policy uncertainty, with the former delaying purchasing decisions and the latter planning premium increases as a result. In the first article, published June 18, the outlet reports that health system…
Robotic shoulder surgery enters ASCs, paving way for broader adoption
Editor's Note Surgeons are performing robotic shoulder replacements in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) for the first time, signaling a significant shift in the trajectory of outpatient total joint arthroplasty. According to Outpatient Surgery Magazine May 7, the world’s first robotic total shoulder replacement outside of a hospital took place on…
Ascension expands with AMSURG mega-deal as Surgery Partners doubles down on independence
Editor's Note Two major players in outpatient surgical care are taking sharply different paths: Surgery Partners is rejecting a buyout bid, while Ascension is making a bold acquisition to rapidly expand its ambulatory surgery center (ASC) footprint. Surgery Partners has formally declined a takeover proposal from Bain Capital, Ambulatory Surgery…
Low-income patients face uphill battle overturning insurance claim denials, study shows
Editor's Note Patients earning less than $50,000 annually are significantly less likely to have denied insurance claims reversed compared to wealthier individuals, according to a new study published in Health Affairs and reported by Fierce Healthcare on June 5. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of…
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- Keeping sensory aids in place during surgery reduces delirium risk in older hip fracture patients
- HFMA warns affordability crisis is driving up provider bad debt
- Report warns sterile processing staffing crisis threatens surgical safety
- Ascension swings to profit as outpatient push, cost cuts take hold
- High BMI alone did not raise early complication risk after outpatient TJA
- AAAHC report spotlights top accreditation deficiencies, strategies for safer ambulatory care
- ACS conference charts bold future for surgical quality with data, teamwork, frontline innovation
- Surgical leaders urged to weigh risks, rewards of innovation with a critical eye