Postanesthesia Care Over a dozen surgical organizations today urged CMS to ensure that its episode-based payment models support the use of non-opioid pain management therapies. The request was made in a letter to CMS Deputy Administrator Abe Sutton that was led by Voices for Non-Opioid Choices, “a nonpartisan coalition that works to…
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) and over a dozen other organizations today urged CMS to ensure that its episode-based payment models support the use of non-opioid pain management therapies. The request was made in a letter to CMS Deputy Administrator Abe Sutton that was led by Voices for Non-Opioid…
A new international study published in JMIR Perioperative Medicine calls for more rigorous monitoring of patients for the risk of postoperative complications after orthopedic surgeries, particularly myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS), major bleeding, and sepsis. “Association Between Complications and Death Within 30 Days After Orthopedic Surgery: Vascular Events in…
Northwell Health’s North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) has opened a $25.7 million, 42-bed post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Northwell, which has committed more than $600 million toward NSUH’s development, states that the completion of the 17-month project “represents the next phase in the hospital’s perioperative modernization initiative designed to transform surgical care.”…
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons finds that “each additional 1,000 steps” a patient takes postoperatively is linked to 18% lower odds of complications, 16% lower odds of readmission, and 6% shorter hospital stays. Surgeon researchers analyzed data from the National Institutes of…
If you’re looking for a model to handle the devastating but all-too-common complication of postoperative neurocognitive disorders (P-NCD, popularly known as delirium) experienced by your patients, some friends to our north have created a program that might be of interest. Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre this month welcomed the first…
A new study from Duke University School of Medicine suggests that preoperative stress checks can improve surgical outcomes for older adults. Duke claims the study is “one of the most in-depth looks at pre-surgery stress in the general geriatric surgical population.” The study, published in Anesthesiology, says that even modest stress can affect how older adults…
Editor's Note Procedures involving pneumatic tourniquets can be associated with an increased the risk of complications and injuries such as postprocedural skin complications. A recent review of evidence-based practices for safety during surgery when using a pneumatic tourniquet published in the November issue of AORN Journal. This article provided an…
Editor's Note Consistent case volume is the lifeblood of any successful ambulatory surgical center (ASC), but one often overlooked limiting factor in driving ASC volume is the anesthesia group, according to Michael Bernard, MD, in the September 2025 issue of Surgical Business. Staffing shortages of anesthesia professionals are a major…
Editor's note A liberal blood transfusion strategy after major vascular or general surgery for patients at high risk of a cardiac event did not reduce 90-day death or major ischemic outcome rates compared with a restrictive strategy, according to results from the Transfusion Trigger after Operations in High Cardiac Risk…
