Editor's Note Hospitals and health systems are all-in on ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), with ownership now the rule rather than the exception, according to the 6th Avanza Intelligence Hospital Leadership ASC Survey published in 2025. The report, produced in partnership with HealthLeaders Media, shows 82% of hospitals now own at…
Takeaways • US surgeons have no mandated retirement age. According to the Aging Surgeon Program, “a patient death or serious negative event are currently the only things that prompt action to prevent a surgeon from practicing.” • Research on aging-related decline is clear, but nuanced, showing rates and scope vary…
Why reflect on the past? Reflection anchors strategy and revitalizes purpose. Since the start of the year, the economy has been unstable, regulations have been in flux, and the livelihood of many is being put through grueling tests. But reflecting on the triumphs of past years shows that under the…
Editor’s Note Healthcare organizations are hemorrhaging millions to cybercrime and turning to medical staff as unlikely but indispensable defenders in the face of this growing threat. As detailed in a Cyber Security News April 29 article, healthcare remains the most expensive industry for data breaches, with the average cost reaching…
Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders elevate safety by treating patient selection as a clinical gatekeeper, then prop that rigor with data-driven workflows, advanced monitoring, and targeted robotics to bring complex spine cases safely into the outpatient space. An interview with Glenn Snyders Jr, MD, medical director and head…
Editor's Note An April 16 article in JAMA Network outlines a three-part communications framework for improving the quality and clarity of perioperative conversations with patients, particularly when time is limited and stakes are high. The article focuses particularly on three core communications skills: attending to emotion, managing uncertainty, and supporting…
Editor's Note Gender bias in surgery goes far beyond barriers for individuals, according to a study published April 8 in The American Journal of Surgery. Ethnographic data reveals women surgeons face entrenched structural inequities that influence their daily work lives, limit their professional standing, and shape perceptions of surgical competence,…
Editor's Note A recent Duke University analysis challenges the long‑held assumption that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) inherently deliver superior results for outpatient joint replacement, Orthopedics This Week March 18 reports. In the February 2025 Journal of Arthroplasty, researchers report that same‑day discharge total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed in a tertiary‑care hospital…
Editor's Note What is reportedly the first technology to allow dynamic, 3D, segmental visualization of anatomy during surgery earned a second 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration, according to an April 8 press release from developer Proprio. Designed to let surgeons measure progress during surgery without scrubbing…
Editor's Note Although cadaver-based education is far from perfect, medical schools should reconsider eliminating these programs for surgeons and other professionals, first-year medical student Nadir Al Saidi argues in a March 31 commentary in Stat. “The weight of an actual body beneath your inexperienced hands is as real a preparation…