Editor's Note High-volume joints and spine procedures in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) require more than a “healthy” patient—success hinges on rigorous screening, block-and-flow efficiency, tech-enabled standardization, and a culture where anyone can say “stop,” this session’s speakers said. Comprising Robert Bray, MD, FAANS, CEO and founding director of DISC Sports…
Editor's Note A new medical training institute in Charlotte, North Carolina, is positioning itself as a major national destination for robotic and minimally invasive surgery education, Axios Charlotte October 29 reports. The North American headquarters of IRCAD (Institut de Recherche contre les Cancers de l’Appareil Digestif, or Research Institute Against…
Takeaways • Determining the return on investment (ROI) for a robot-assisted surgery (RAS) program should include anticipated surgeon volume and past cases where RAS could have been used. • Some organizations dedicate staff to RAS cases, while others orient all to these procedures. • Offering ROI after hours require careful…
Current literature shows artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant concept in surgical care. Innovative medtech has entered clinical practice with measurable impact, although the field remains in early stages of implementation—promising in scope, but still facing challenges with data quality, reproducibility, and integration. For instance, a 2024 systematic…
Editor's Note Hands-on, simulation-based education can dramatically raise confidence and communication among perioperative teams learning robotic-assisted surgery, AORN Journal October 22 reports. The article profiles how one nurse leader at Duke University Hospital built a comprehensive robotics training program that helped staff achieve near-total confidence in managing robotic systems safely…
Editor's Note Robotic-assisted cardiac surgery is reshaping the field, enabling safer, less invasive procedures once deemed too complex for minimal-access techniques, the American College of Surgeons October 1 reports. Advances in high-definition visualization, wristed instruments, and surgical control are allowing cardiothoracic teams to perform intricate repairs through incisions often smaller…
Robotic surgery has moved from cutting-edge to commonplace. The question is no longer whether to use robotics but when to introduce it and how to ensure adoption is efficient, affordable, and seamless for surgical teams. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are increasingly adding robotics to their service lines, driven by the…
Perioperative leaders face a workforce transition unlike any in recent memory. By 2030, all baby boomers will have reached retirement age, and many veteran perioperative nurses are already exiting, taking with them decades of institutional knowledge. At the same time, the expectations of today’s workforce have shifted, placing greater value…
Editor's Note The US Department of Commerce has initiated national security investigations that could trigger new tariffs on a wide range of imported medical products, with potentially far-reaching effects for healthcare providers, Reuters September 24 reports. The probes, opened under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, cover…
Growth is the goal in any ASC—growth in volume, growth in profits, and often growth to new locations. For DISC Surgery Centers, which just opened its sixth ambulatory surgery center (ASC) through parent company TriasMD, that growth has been the result of many factors. A key driver, according to Frank…