Surgery/Specialties University College London Hospitals (UCLH) has announced “the first use of artificial intelligence [AI] to support a neurosurgeon in real time during live surgery.” The procedure “protected the sight of a man having a brain tumor removed,” stated the institution. The operation was performed at the UCLH’s National Hospital for…
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has submitted formal comments to CMS on the 2027 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule. The ACC states that its letter includes: Support for increased reimbursement for cardiac PET/CT services Support for maintaining higher reimbursement…
Integrated Surgical Center of Arizona (ISCA) has joined the network of ASC developer and operator Regent Surgical. Located in Avondale, Ariz., ISCA is a multispecialty ASC led by three Arizona physician organizations: IMS Care, described as Arizona’s “largest independent multispecialty physician group”; AZ Heart Arrhythmia Associates; and Valley GI Consultants.…
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…
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…
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has published results of its AAOS Member Insights Panel, a national research panel of 524 orthopedic surgeons, on numerous issues that relate to their practice. AAOS states that the panel “captures surgeons’ views and experiences with innovation, technology, and the products and services…
Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) President Saher S. Sabri, MD, FSIR, has authored a column that clarifies what the specialty’s practitioners and procedures can bring to the table for hospitals, ASCs and, ultimately, patients. “Interventional radiology [IR] has long understood its value: solving complex clinical problems with less invasive treatment…
St. Luke’s University Health Network previewed its new $252 million St. Luke’s Heart Hospital, which will open at the 500-acre St. Luke’s Anderson Campus in Easton, Pa., this October. The five-story, 140-bed, approximately 355,000-square-foot facility is the largest construction project in St. Luke’s more-than-150-year history, both in terms of dollar…
A new study by Canadian researchers supports the safety of continued perioperative Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) use in “patients meeting strict institutional pre-procedure screening pathways for short-duration ophthalmic surgeries under MMS [Mild-To-Moderate Sedation] in an ambulatory setting.” However, the researchers caution that their findings “may not extend to higher…
After 20 years in operation, Dallas-Fort Worth area GI ASC Digestive Health Center of North Richland Hills has moved about 18 miles to become Digestive Health Center of Alliance. According to a report from local news outlet Community Impact, the new 9,500-square-foot location in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts seven physicians…
