Editor's Note University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and University of Southern California (USC) surgeons have completed the world’s first human bladder transplant, marking a new milestone in organ transplantation and paving the way to for treating debilitating bladder conditions previously considered irreversible. As detailed in a May 18 announcement…

Read More

Editor's Note Prostate cancer surgeries for low-risk patients have plummeted since 2010, signaling major progress in reducing overtreatment, according to an April 29 announcement from the University of Michigan. University researchers reportedly found that the proportion of men undergoing prostatectomy for Grade Group 1 prostate cancer—the lowest-risk category—dropped more than…

Read More

Editor's Note OpenAI has launched an open-source benchmark designed to test the safety and effectiveness of large language models in healthcare, according to a May 13 report in Fierce Healthcare. Called HealthBench, the dataset evaluates AI performance in real-world medical scenarios, moving beyond outdated exam-style questions and incorporating feedback from…

Read More

Editor's Note For the first time, the Spring 2025 Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group introduces a “Straight A” designation for facilities that have earned top marks across five or more consecutive grading cycles. Published May 1, the latest edition of this biannual safety grade shows 346 hospitals—just 12%…

Read More

Editor's Note Terry A. Bohlke, MSHA, CPA, CMA, CASC, emphasized that Rocky Mountain High Surgery Center is a pseudonym “to protect the innocent,” but the numbers he presented at the 2025 Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) Conference & Expo in Denver last week were real enough. Based on actual scenarios…

Read More

Editor's Note Telemedicine is rapidly becoming the standard for postoperative care, offering patients a safer, more convenient recovery experience without compromising clinical outcomes, according to an April 28 report in the Los Angeles Times. The outlet emphasizes that virtual consultations and remote monitoring are no longer just alternatives to in-person…

Read More

In the OR, precision and focus can mean the difference between life and death. However, surgical patient outcomes hinge on more than the competence of those working in these inherently intense environments. Every procedure also depends on the laborious, behind-the-scenes efforts of the people responsible for ensuring every surgical instrument…

Read More

Editor's Note Recent reporting from Fierce Healthcare highlights two notable technology advances that promise to impact surgical patients and caregivers:  an AI-driven blood pressure monitoring system and a remote-controlled endovascular robotics platform. The first development, from BD, is designed to help clinicians anticipate and manage dangerous blood pressure drops during…

Read More

Editor's Note A sharp drop in 2025 brings hospital and health system mergers and acquisitions to their lowest point in years, according to Kaufman Hall’s most recent Mergers and Acquisitions Quarterly Activity Report. Just five transactions were announced in Q1, a steep decline attributed to widespread economic volatility, concerns over…

Read More

Editor's Note Sidney Barbier, a University of Denver senior and competitive cross-country skier, became the first person worldwide to undergo single-port robotic renal vein transposition, marking a breakthrough in treating nutcracker syndrome, The Cleveland Clinic reported April 3. As detailed in the article, the robotic surgery ended a competitive skier’s…

Read More