The $1.7 trillion federal spending package passed by the lame-duck Congress last month includes a 2% reduction in physicians’ pay for Medicare cases, which experts in the same-day surgical industry say will have multiple immediate negative...

A mere four procedures were added to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ASC-approved list for 2023, a decision met with disappointment and frustration by advocates for ambulatory surgery centers across the U.S....

There’s plenty of compelling big-picture data out there to support the need for meticulous and consistent point-of-use instrument care. A 2020 study in BMJ Quality & Safety is a great example....

Many patients suffer from both cataracts and glaucoma, so why not address both conditions during the same surgery? While such an efficient option seems like a no-brainer, in reality it’s not quite that simple....

Major change doesn’t happen overnight — especially in the world of surgery. Little by little the trends of today mold and shape the industry of tomorrow. For facility leaders, keeping up with these changes is an absolute imperative....

What's wrong with our healthcare system? That's the question I couldn't stop asking myself after an Air Force deployment to Afghanistan that ended in 2008. I had been thinking...

Purchasing a big-ticket item like a spine table — a crucial piece of equipment for any spine surgery service line — is a decision that goes well beyond that upfront investment....

Superior safety benefits and error-reduction capabilities. Significant time savings. Reduced waste. The benefits of premixed, prelabeled syringes far outweigh the minimal drawbacks, so why are there still facilities that insist on...

Standardization is often the common denominator among successful total joints programs. Take Knoxville Orthopaedic Surgery Center (KOSC), which opened in December 2009 and has had a total joints service line...

You’ve had a chaotic morning. The first patient of the day canceled their procedure and your nurse navigator called in sick, throwing your facility’s entire schedule off track....

When I founded the Atlas Surgical group of ASCs 15 years ago, we outsourced our billing operations. Our collection rate was about 80%, which was acceptable, but not stellar. I came to realize...

The national company that supplied Lakeland (Fla.) Surgical & Diagnostic Center with food and drinks was experiencing shortages and found itself unable to provide the facility with crackers for patients, diet soda for surgeons...

As the current U.S. inflation rate approaches 10%, ambulatory surgery centers are already facing financial pressure from expenses for goods and services and staffing costs. So while CMS has proposed an increase...

When grateful patients in Central Maine return home from St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston with a successful surgical outcome, the thank you cards they pen aren’t to the finance department. But maybe they should be....

Surgery centers are in line to capture a sizable number of cases as insurers and providers look to shift more complex procedures out of hospital ORs. As the migration of surgeries to same-day settings continues to...

After years of negotiating with vendors to purchase supplies for our busy ophthalmic surgery center, we finally found an easier and less stressful way to score...

Patients never like to be surprised on the day of surgery, especially if that surprise is that they owe money. That is why the staff at Eye 35 ASC in Schertz, Texas, has insurance verifiers call all patients prior to...

Denise Kesler, RN, retired from her role as the director of the Athens (Ga.) Orthopedic Clinic ASC last month. She’s seen the surgery center evolve from a fledging facility...

You cannot run a successful surgery center if your surgical instruments are dull, damaged or in desperate need of replacement. I work at an extremely busy orthopedic ASC with eight operating rooms that are full...

Hysterectomy is the second most common surgery for women performed in the U.S., second only to cesarean section, and increasing numbers of surgeons are opting...