A cost efficiency analysis of outpatient ophthalmic procedures has been published in American Journal of Ophthalmology. The purpose of the study, state the researchers, was to “evaluate the financial feasibility” of nine common ophthalmic procedures performed at ASCs and HOPDs relative to Medicare facility reimbursement in 2025. The study proposes…
Prisma Health recently broke ground on its $180 million Fountain Inn Medical Park project in southern Greenville County, S.C. The focus of the 50-acre site will be a four-story 130,000-sq-ft medical office building that will offer a “wide array of advanced and expanded outpatient services in one convenient, patient-centered location…
Much of the discussion and research on opioid-sparing postoperative pain management has centered on orthopedics and spine procedures, where opioid prescriptions have in many cases been successfully reduced or even eliminated in favor of nerve blocks and multimodal pain relief strategies. Now a major Canadian research project has examined the…
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has sent a letter to the Office of the United States Trade Representative to ask that medications, medical devices and other healthcare equipment and supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE) be exempted from proposed duties on goods from other nations. In the letter, signed by…
Cleveland Clinic is expanding the utilization of its ORs by opening more of them up to Saturday elective procedures, particularly in its ophthalmology and orthopedics service lines. Cole Eye Institute on Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus is now offering eye procedures on Saturdays, while Medina (Ohio) Hospital, as well as Marymount…
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) has reminded ASCs that new requirements for accessible medical diagnostic equipment take effect on Tuesday, July 8. ASCs that participate in Medicare, Medicaid, or other grant or funding programs from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and use the covered equipment…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week released the 2027 proposed payment rule for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). You can access and download a PDF of the full 723-page rule here. In addition to issuing a press release headlined “CMS Disincentivizes Procedure Migration with Decline…
According to a report by trade publication Construction Owners, design-build construction firm BBL has completed a 113,000-square-foot orthopedic medical campus for ORA Orthopedics. The campus in Bettendorf, Iowa, includes an ASC with 10 ORs and two procedure rooms, an orthopedic clinic, imaging, physical therapy and aquatic therapy services. It will…
A possible risk from total hip or knee replacement procedures is periprosthetic joint infection, which can result in joint replacement failures that require additional surgeries, prolonged hospital stays, and a poor patient experience. The risk rises in patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or a history of tobacco use. Yale…
After formal approval by state and federal regulators, Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and Heritage Valley Health System have finalized an affiliation agreement that will add two Heritage Valley hospitals, dozens of clinical locations, and hundreds of physicians to AHN’s western Pennsylvania-based network. The organizations are now focused on integration of “operations and clinical programmatic…
