The Business of Surgery The Lund Report, an independent outlet for health news in Oregon and southwest Washington reported on an invite-only session conducted last week where Salem Health and Santiam Hospital & Clinics leaders answered questions from nearly 200 local business, nonprofit and government leaders about their proposed merger. “The future of health care…
An opinion piece published in the journal Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open focuses on maximizing documentation efficiency and improving reimbursement in acute care surgery (ACS). The article, written by five ACS surgeons, notes that they and their peers are “increasingly asked to navigate complex documentation and reimbursement systems” even…
As margins tighten and labor pressures intensify, perioperative leaders are re-evaluating the levers that shape everyday efficiency and performance. One such lever — used in every OR, by every team, for every case — is the preference card. Surgeon preference cards have long held a conflicted identity: they’re indispensable, yet…
U.S. Reps. John B. Larson (D-CT) and Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) last week introduced the bipartisan Outpatient Surgery Access Act of 2026, which intends to lower surgery costs at ASCs for seniors on Medicare. “Outdated Medicare policies are limiting access to high-quality and lower-cost care,” said Rep. Van Duyne. “Our…
Health policy organization KFF on Friday published an updated study that finds just one or two health systems controlled the entire market for inpatient hospital care in nearly half of U.S. metropolitan areas in 2024. “Consolidation may allow providers to operate more efficiently and help struggling providers keep their doors open…
An article published in The National Law Review this week examines new guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) on “physician transfers of ASC ownership interests in estate planning contexts.” The article, written by Stephen M. Fatum and Thomas N. Hutchinson of…
Medical office building (MOB) occupancy is at a record high of 92.7% and “institutional investment is increasing, but policy changes and financial pressures are heightening risk for both occupiers and investors,” according to a report from JLL, a professional services firm specializing in commercial real estate. JLL says the high occupancy…
Arkansas news organization Talk Business & Politics reports that Little Rock-based Baptist Health plans to “end hospital operations” at 492-bed Baptist Health-Fort Smith with the exception of “emergency room and possibly limited surgery services.” Additionally, it reports that “some or all” of the hospital’s existing physician agreements “may” expire June 29,…
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reports that some rural hospitals in the state are suffering from a “Medicare billing snafu” that is “generating steep financial hardships” for the already struggling facilities. The report says hospital leaders have been “vexed by a recent payment processing change” by CMS that is “effectively holding…
National Nurses United (NNU), which identifies itself as the nation’s largest union of RNs with more than 225,000 members, was scheduled to bring its nationwide Red Alert tour to Alameda (Calif.) Hospital on Saturday. It would be the third stop on the tour, which visits a community hospital on a…
