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…

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Editor's Note A newly developed framework could significantly strengthen the planning phase of small-scale surgical quality improvement (QI) projects, which often falter due to inadequate preparation, MedicalXpress October 16 reports. According to a report from the American College of Surgeons (ACS), published in the Journal of the American College of…

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Editor's Note Lead your OR like a samurai—anchor the team in purpose, practice servant leadership, and model the behavior you expect. That was the through line of this session, led by Brian Dawson, MSN, RN-BC, CNOR, CAPT, NC, USN (Ret), president and CEO of BD Perioperative Healthcare Consulting. He argued…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the launch of a new model using artificial intelligence (AI) to target unnecessary Medicare spending, the agency reported in an October 17 update. The voluntary model will run from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2031, and aims to…

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Editor's Note A personalized digital tool is helping patients and orthopedic surgeons make more informed, confident decisions about total knee replacement (TKR), according to BMC Health Services Research October 21. Both patients and surgeons reported the EKIT tool—a tablet-based decision aid developed in Germany—improves shared decision-making (SDM), enhances communication, and…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is enlisting artificial intelligence (AI) to combat wasteful spending, but ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) warn the plan could slow care and increase administrative strain, Ambulatory Surgery Center News October 20 reports. The agency’s new Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR)…

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Editor's Note Lock in system-level wins fast. The 2025 OR Manager Conference is right around the corner (October 28–30 in Anaheim, California), and it is loaded with how-to sessions that turn ideas into throughput, revenue, and workforce results you can bring home in Q4. This year’s agenda centers on pragmatic,…

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Editor's Note University of California San Francisco (UCSF) surgeons and researchers presented a wide range of original work at the American College of Surgeons’ 2025 Clinical Congress in Chicago, held October 4–7. According to an October 7 article published by UCSF, the meeting featured topics from perioperative opioid stewardship and…

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Editor's Note Hiring for spinal procedures are tightening and consolidation is accelerating, reshaping where and how ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) secure talent, Becker’s Spine Review October 3 reports. A mounting orthopedic shortage exceeding 5,000 by year-end is making spine one of the hardest specialties to recruit, with timelines stretching and…

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Editor's Note Training with surgical preference cards significantly lowers anxiety and strengthens clinical competence among OR nursing students, according to a randomized controlled trial published in BMC Medical Education on October 2. The study enrolled 60 OR nursing students in Iran between 2023 and 2024. Students were randomly assigned to…

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