Staff appreciation gestures have been a mainstay of the first year of operations at National Ambulatory Surgery Center in San Jose, Calif. Whether it’s a more formal designation for the Employee of the Quarter...

During fire drills — as well as in the event of an actual fire emergency — some facilities place a magnet on the outside of a room that says “Checked” or similar language to confirm that a room has been evacuated. This ensures...

Instrument cleaning and sterilization is a complicated process rife with potential oversights and failures, so how can you be completely certain your facility’s tools are...

You notice a sudden rise in the patient’s temperature and end-tidal CO2 levels along with an elevated heart rate and the early signs of muscle rigidity. The symptoms point...

Managing postoperative pain is a key to success in same-day surgery, as it is one of the core factors that allows patients to go home hours after procedures. Use this quiz...

Successful airway management can mean the difference between an uneventful surgery and a devastating outcome. “Anesthesia providers need to diligently evaluate...

The increased centralization of the nation’s anesthesia provider groups mirrors what’s happening in the ASC market — many physician-owned centers are being...

If you want to get a glimpse into the potential of outpatient surgery, look no further than orthopedics. Surgeons, armed with the industry’s latest technologies and tools,...

Manual surface cleaning isn’t completely effective. Your staff can’t eliminate every pathogen, no matter how much elbow grease they apply and diligence they display....

Most cataract surgeons can remove a cloudy natural lens and implant an IOL in less than 10 minutes, so high-volume ophthalmic facilities thrive by finding ways to...

The steady movement of total hip and knee arthroplasties to outpatient ORs shows no signs of slowing down thanks to advances in minimally invasive surgical...

Angela Francois couldn’t sleep. The painful numbness in her hands was waking her up in the middle of the night on a more consistent basis. She had been experiencing...

My favorite part about going on a trip is coming home. I’m not opposed to traveling and have been fortunate to visit incredible cities and beautiful beaches, but my stampless passport is collecting dust in my nightstand...

Shelley Harris, RN, opted for the transient lifestyle when she was young, single and ready to explore the world. Twenty-two years later, she’s still at it. The New Hampshire...

Outpatient facilities run lean by design, but shortages have created gaps along the front lines that are stretching existing staff thin at even the healthiest of facilities....

The importance of same-day outpatient cardiology was on full display in 2020 — during the worst months of the pandemic — and I was fortunate enough to be in the thick...

What role does patient education play in moving more complex procedures to an ASC setting? It’s one of the key factors in a successful surgery. You want to give people the most information possible so there are no surprises....

Two decades ago, most plastic surgeries were performed in hospitals. Patients, even those who underwent minimally invasive procedures, were usually required to stay...

I believe the velocity of change is more rapid in health care than it is in any other industry. That’s a good thing. It’s this exponential growth that has allowed ASCs and HOPDs to deliver care today that was unimaginable...

Sometimes it takes an unprecedented global event to help facilities refocus their efforts on the basic, tried-and-true protocols that fell by the wayside as pressing issues demanded immediate attention. COVID-19 was...