In the wake of updated colorectal cancer screening (CRC) guidelines released by the American Cancer Society (ACS) late last month that address blood-based and at-home testing for the first time, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has issued a statement that highlights “key considerations as CRC screening options continue to expand.”…
Here are some details on two new surgery centers that opened this month. FOX 23 News reports that Hillcrest Hospital South in Tulsa, Okla., opened a new outpatient surgery center yesterday. The 17,000-square-foot facility features four ORs, two procedure rooms and 19 pre-op and post-op bays. Meanwhile, the opening of…
According to a report from The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia region’s largest health insurer, Independence Blue Cross (IBX), launched a policy this month that is “designed to move care into lower-cost surgery centers and away from hospitals and clinics that can generate payments twice as high for the same treatment.”…
Baptist Health held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to welcome South Arkansas Regional Hospital in El Dorado, Ark., into its system after officially assuming the hospital’s operations the day before. The 151-bed hospital has been renamed Baptist Health Medical Center-El Dorado, becoming the 13th hospital in the Baptist Health system. “The…
CMS is “taking steps to improve healthcare quality and patient safety through enhanced oversight of Accrediting Organizations (AO).” Announcing its final rule, “Strengthening Oversight of AO and Preventing AO Conflicts of Interest,” CMS stated that it wants to ensure AOs “use Medicare standards.” It added that the final rule also…
Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) CEO Bill Prentice last week submitted comments in response to CMS’ 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule. In particular, Mr. Prentice provided feedback on a request for information regarding the inclusion of ASCs in the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) or “other similar episode-based…
No state in the union has fewer ASCs than Vermont does, at just two. But it appears that it will soon gain a third. According to reporting by Vermont Public, regulators at the Green Mountain Care Board have unanimously greenlit planned multispecialty ASC Upper Valley Surgery Center in Hartford, which…
Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare can be incredibly powerful…until it isn’t. KFF Health News has published a reminder that while AI can unlock significant clinical, financial and operational efficiencies and even breakthroughs, the technology is still in its relative infancy in terms of implementation in live environments. As such, human…
A Cleveland Clinic pediatric hospitalist sees much room for improvement in the perioperative management of pediatric patients with medical complexities characterized by rare multisystem disease. Moises Auron, MD, says that while such patients are frequently candidates for life-sustaining surgeries—often multiple surgeries—their risk for increased morbidity and mortality remains high. Cleveland…
Novant Health Scotts Hill Medical Center is scheduled to fully open to patients on June 16 in Wilmington, N.C. The 250,000-square-foot, $294 million facility is described as New Hanover County’s first hospital opening in nearly 60 years. The hospital will feature eight ORs, a 29-bed pre-op/post-op unit, and a 12-bed…
