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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted Medicare payment information for physicians and hospital outpatient departments on the web.
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Thirty years ago, Same-Day Surgery was launched. Such a long time ago. I was only . . . well, younger then. But lots of other things were happening in January 1977.
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The federal government can meet its budget neutrality requirements for the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) payment system and still pay ASCs 73% of the rate paid to hospital outpatient departments (HOPD), according to the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (FASA).
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As outpatient surgical care has shifted from hospitals to alternative locations, the patient safety and quality regulations and the cost and quality reporting requirements have not moved into that setting, says Ellen Pryga, director of policy for the American Hospital Association in Washington, DC.
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Even after 30 years, the outpatient surgery field still is constantly adjusting to changes in procedures, policies, and payments. Consider these recent actions:
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Penile Rehabilitation Post-Prostatectomy; Sunburn in the United States; What is the Best Diagnostic Test for Onychomycosis?; A Novel Approach to Stroke Rehabilitation: Constraint Therapy; Is Carbohydrate Really a 'Bad-Guy'?; Can D-dimer Establish Best Duration of Anticoagulation?;
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The Agency for Research and Healthcare Quality (AHRQ) has a DVD available on the proper insertion of chest tubes. The 11-minute DVD uses video footage of 50 chest tube insertion procedures taken at medical centers in the Baltimore, MD, area.
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The Oklahoma City, OK-based Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) has begun a consumer-focused phase that will include the tip sheet, "Steps to Safer Surgery," which gives patients specific questions to ask physicians and nurses before surgery to ensure the care provided will reduce the likelihood of complications.