ASC leaders’ satisfaction has increased significantly compared to a year ago, according to the 2024 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. In all, 81% of respondents were satisfied with their current job/position, up from 70% in 2023, and 27% reported being “completely satisfied,” compared to 17% last year. In fact, the favorable…

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Editor's Note The CardioVascular Health Clinic in Oklahoma made history by performing the first outpatient trans carotid artery revascularization (TCAR) procedure in the US, Fox 25 September 9 reports. The procedure, which aims to treat carotid artery disease that can lead to strokes, helped the patient in question address a…

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For many in the healthcare industry, imagining surgery without onsite sterile processing seems unthinkable. Then again, performing total joints in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) was unthinkable 10 years ago. ASC sterile processing departments (SPDs) are generally not designed to handle the high volumes of instrument trays, vendor trays, and…

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Editor's Note A recent study, published by Perioperative Medicine on August 13 and conducted at a large US academic tertiary care ambulatory surgery center (ASC), found the incidence of unplanned hospital admissions within 24 hours after a procedure performed at an ASC is “exceptionally” low. The research, which analyzed data…

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Editor's Note As healthcare continues to transition from inpatient to outpatient settings, large health systems are increasingly forming partnerships and joint ventures to develop and manage ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), Becker’s ASC Review August 16 reports. Per the outlet, health systems have historically been hesitant to embrace ASCs due to…

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Editor's Note Medicare and patient out-of-pocket costs are rising as vertical integration results in more procedures moving to hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) than to ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), Becker’s ASC Review reported on August 8. The article summarizes a study published July 25 in Science Direct. Described as "physician vertical…

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Editor's Note Every August,  ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) promote awareness of how they "have  transformed the outpatient experience by offering a convenient and personalized alternative to the hospital outpatient surgical setting," notes the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA). This year, ASCA and other organizations are using the month to educate…

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One privilege of living at this time in history is the availability of choice, especially for health and surgical needs. Those who make healthcare their business understand this as well. According to Tanna et al, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are spreading to rural areas, hospitals are creating hybrid outpatient surgery…

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Some 800,000 knee replacements and 550,000 hip replacements are performed in the US each year. Factoring in the ever-expanding aging population, projections show the figure for knee replacements alone will explode to 3.5 million procedures being done annually by 2030—and that is just one type of procedure within a single…

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Editor's Note As outpatient surgery continues to gain popularity and the need to cut costs persists, Becker’s ASC Review sat down with Jim Freund, managing partner for Physician Transaction Advisors, to discuss the below three key trends in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry, per Becker’s July 18 article. Number…

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