Study: Outpatient PCI safety comparable for ASCs, HOPDs
Editor's Note The first study to evaluate percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in Medicare beneficiaries treated at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) found similar short-term safety outcomes as hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). As detailed in an announcement from The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI), the research was presented on May…
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…
Study: Hospital same‑day knee replacements match ASC outcomes, even in higher‑risk patients
Editor's Note A recent Duke University analysis challenges the long‑held assumption that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) inherently deliver superior results for outpatient joint replacement, Orthopedics This Week March 18 reports. In the February 2025 Journal of Arthroplasty, researchers report that same‑day discharge total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed in a tertiary‑care hospital…
Session: Hoisting the Sails—Winning Strategies for Growing Service Lines in an ASC
Editor's Note In this session, Deb Yoder, MHA, BSN, RN, CNOR, CASC, vice president of facility development, Compass Surgery Partners, provided a comprehensive overview of selecting, implementing, and managing service lines in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) while considering factors such as block time utilization, staff readiness, equipment needs, financial viability,…
Session: Surfs Up—Rolling Out the OAS CAHPS Survey
Editor's Note In this session, Gail Avigne, MSN, BA, RN, senior consultant, strategic consulting, at Press Ganey Associates LLC, spoke to OR Business Management Conference attendees about the rollout of the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery CAHPS (OAS CAHPS) survey, which is a mandatory requirement for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in…
OR Manager Conference session: Converting HOPDs to ASCs—What do hospitals need to know?
Editor's Note This session on converting hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) into ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), presented at the recently concluded OR Manager Conference, saw Joan Dentler, MBA, founder of Avanza Healthcare Strategies, share practical insights for healthcare leaders contemplating this transition. Dentler began by highlighting the history of ASCs, which…
Session: Anesthesia contracts, the must-haves
Editor's Note “There's nothing worse than putting a contract together, only for the anesthesia providers to say, ‘Oh, no, we're not going to do that,” Mindy Gingery, MSN, CRNA, ARNP, president of Heartland Anesthesia & Consulting, said, opening this morning session on anesthesia contract best practices for ambulatory surgery centers…
Outpatient, ASC clinicians share perspectives on upcoming NOPAIN Act implementation
Editor's Note On October 14, Anesthesiology News published a monograph featuring clinical perspectives on how “those working in the trenches of postsurgical pain management” are preparing for the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) Act, which outlines new, separate Medicare reimbursement for certain non-opioid analgesics in outpatient and ambulatory…
Medicare policy on prior authorization falls short on shifting outpatient surgery trends
Editor's Note A Medicare policy introduced in 2020, which requires prior authorization for certain procedures done at hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), has not significantly reduced the volume of surgical procedures being done at these facilities, reports a study by Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, published on October 9. The policy,…
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