ASC Industry News

Check out these articles for some of the latest hot topics in ASC Industry News:

How COVID-19 Snuck Up on a Hospital Urology Department

Shortened quarantines for employees located through contact tracing might have made COVID-19 spread “exponentially,” a study suggests.

Source: Infection Control Today

ASCs Lead the Charge to Huge Medicare Savings

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are projected to save Medicare an estimated $73.4 billion from 2019 to 2028 thanks to an increasing number of procedures being performed at ASCs instead of hospitals, a study by KNG Health Consulting shows. The massive potential future savings figure was derived in part by estimating which additional procedures are expected to move from hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) to ASCs.

Source: AORN

Secrets of Same-day Total Joints

If you’re looking to expand your multi-specialty ASC or orthopedic surgery center, adding a total joints program could be the perfect choice to bump up your case volume. CMS approved total knees to be performed in ASCs last year, and total hips got the green light this year.

Source: AORN

Covid’s Lingering Effects Can Put the Brakes on Elective Surgeries

The week before Brian Colvin was scheduled for shoulder surgery in November, he tested positive for COVID-19. What he thought at first was a head cold had morphed into shortness of breath and chest congestion coupled with profound fatigue and loss of balance.

Source: ASCA/KHN

COVID-19: Scary, But Easy to Kill

As an enveloped virus, COVID-19 is very easy to kill on hard surfaces. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it can live on any surface for several days. “Think about all the stainless steel and plastic in operating rooms,” says J. Darrel Hicks, BA, Master REH, CHESP.

Source: AORN/Outpatient Surgery