According to reporting from Healthcare Dive and numerous other news organizations, Providence Health Plan, the insurance division of Pacific Northwest health system Providence, will close completely after talks with an unnamed national insurer to keep its Medicare Advantage plans afloat failed. In May, we reported that Providence Health Plan would…
Cleveland Clinic this week promoted a study by its researchers that found that reducing air turnover in unoccupied ORs “can significantly decrease electricity use and costs without negatively affecting clinical outcomes,” including “no association with increased surgical site infection, mortality or ICU admission. The study was the subject of a…
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) has released its v45 Standards across all accreditation and certification programs. The new standards “introduce a comprehensive governance framework to help ambulatory healthcare organizations adopt and oversee AI responsibly.” AAAHC states that its updated v45 Standards reinforce its commitment to “continuous QI,…
Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) physicians have a issued a stark warning for patients, as well as for hospitals and ASCs who operate ENT service lines. According to a new survey of 1,406 ENT docs from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), eight out of 10 say…
In an opinion piece called “Keeping Our Defenses Up Against Cyberattacks,” American Hospital Association (AHA) President and CEO Rick Pollack links cybersecurity to patient safety. Mr. Pollack notes that there has been a “troubling increase in cyber threats perpetrated by international cyber gangs and state-sponsored hackers this summer” who are…
UVA Health researchers have discovered how a form of postoperative delirium that often strikes older patients “may set the stage for dementia—and identified a drug that could reverse the underlying brain changes,” according to a post by the health system. The researchers found that “anesthesia, surgery and intensive care stress…
TriStar Health announced that TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare, has completed a seven-month renovation of its surgical department. All 10 of the hospital’s operating rooms have been upgraded with “advanced technology and equipment designed to support safe, efficient and high-quality surgical care.” The enhancements include: three-dimensional surgical…
To open up hospital capacity and lower costs, Banner Health is expanding use of its co-owned Phoenix-area ASCs to host lower-acuity electrophysiology (EP) and interventional procedures, according to a new article in Cardiovascular Business. The publication’s interview with Wilber Su, MD, director of cardiac EP at Banner Health and professor…
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) has launched its 1095 Advance AI Governance Guide, an implementation resource designed to help ASCs “establish practical governance frameworks for the safe, effective, and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).” AAAHC states that the guide “helps organizations move beyond AI concepts to…
Axios has published a report that examines how “an overhaul of how Medicare pays hospitals for joint replacements could pare hundreds of millions of dollars in program spending while getting facilities to pay closer attention to the cost and quality of care.” The report was prompted by CMS’ expansion of…
