Know the law. It could save your patients’ lives and your staff members’ practices. This is the advice of several medical legal experts to OR leaders to prevent lapses in patient protections that risk injury or even death. Beyond ensuring safe surgery and preventing litigation, perioperative nursing experts who advance…
Editor’s Note: This page is a companion piece to the main article, "Health systems embrace partnerships, new training pathways to address surgical technologist shortage." The Association of Surgical Technologists (AST), a 55,000-member organization, acknowledges the growing shortage of surgical technologists (STs) but is raising alarms over the rise of…
Roughly 41,000 surgical procedures happen in the US every day. Each one depends on surgical technologists (STs), the professionals who prepare the OR, hand off instruments, and ensure a sterile environment to prevent infections that affect up to 3% of all patients. The profession’s importance is reflected in AORN’s recommended…
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are taking on more high-acuity, same-day procedures than ever before. This growth is driven by evolving clinical protocols, cost-conscious reimbursement strategies, and expanded capabilities in outpatient care. Specialties like orthopedics, spine, ophthalmology, and cardiovascular care are moving more complex cases—and the implants that come with them—out…
Editor's Note The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Society of Robotic Surgery (SRS) have launched a joint initiative to expand equitable access to virtual care and telesurgery, according to a WHO departmental update published August 8. The partnership, formalized in July at the SRS Annual Meeting in Strasbourg, France,…
Once limited to hospital inpatient settings, total joint surgery is increasingly common at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) across the US. What is not so common is performing these complex procedures without the benefit of an onsite sterile processing department (SPD). And yet, that is exactly what we have accomplished at…
Editor’s Note: This page is a companion piece to the main article, Centralized sterile processing cuts costs, complexity for four ASCs. Implementing offsite sterilization is a major project. At Total Joint Specialists, our journey began gradually, growing in scope over time as the team became comfortable with the process…
Editor's Note Hospital CEO turnover climbed 3% in the first half of 2025, with organizations shifting toward interim appointments as financial and regulatory pressures intensify leadership changes, according to an August 5 article in HealthLeaders. Citing data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the outlet reports that hospitals recorded 68 CEO…
Editor's Note Running effective emergency drills in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) requires strategic resource use, role clarity, and consistent adaptation, Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society July 8 reports. Drawing on insights from Laura Schneider, senior clinical director at AMSURG, the piece outlines practical steps to ensure ASCs can respond effectively…
Editor's Note DermaRite Industries has voluntarily recalled multiple lots of healthcare products nationwide due to contamination with Burkholderia cepacia, a bacterium that poses serious infection risks to immunocompromised individuals, according to an August 10 article in Newsweek. The recall affects four product lines commonly used in healthcare settings for handwashing…