Editor's Note With the increasing shift from inpatient to outpatient care in the US, one important question is how this shift impacts care access across patient populations from different socioeconomic areas. This is especially true as financial incentives can potentially lead to ASC openings in more affluent areas to increase…
Editor's Note A balanced approach to leveraging AI in surgical decision making should be taken to weigh the benefits of increased efficiency and potential accuracy of using AI against the principles of medical ethics such as patient autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice, authors recently advised in the November issue of…
Editor's Note Hospitals that provide surgical care are closing faster than new ones are opening, deepening inequities in access to surgery for socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, American College of Surgeons October 3 reports. Closures not only disrupt care, but also deter many from seeking surgery altogether. Increased travel burdens and difficulty…
Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to overhaul drug development, with DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis predicting that discovery timelines could shrink from more than a decade to just months. In a September 13 article from the Times of India, Hassabis described how AI models can identify drug candidates faster,…
In perioperative care, high-performing teams are critical to patient safety and workflow efficiency. Diversity in hiring is not only a matter of compliance—it directly influences care quality, communication, and innovation. A diverse healthcare workforce reflects the varied backgrounds of patients, which builds trust and cultural competency. Research shows that when…
Editor's Note At least 160 million people worldwide are unable to receive essential surgical care each year, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) most affected, News Medical Life Sciences July 15 reports. The study, published in The Lancet and led by the University of Birmingham’s NIHR Global Health Research Unit…
Editor's Note A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore health-related webpages and datasets removed under a January executive order, according to a July 29 article in Medscape. The ruling follows a lawsuit by Doctors for America and the city and county of San Francisco, which argued that…
Editor's Note Implementation of the Composite Allocation Score (CAS) in lung transplantation significantly reduced the proportion of patients who died or were removed from the waitlist, including those with the most urgent medical need, according to a June 17 article in Healio. The findings were presented at the American Thoracic…
This Pride Month, we are reminded of the power of visibility, voice, and belonging—and how far we still have to go. As we take part in the celebrations happening this month, it is worth revisiting this February 2023 OR Manager article, titled “Building leadership diversity” and authored by Cynthia Saver,…
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…