Same-Day Surgery – April 1, 2006
April 1, 2006
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You can save a lot of money buying from on-line auctions, but is it a good idea?
The next time you need to purchase a laser, how would you like to pay $8,000 for a used one instead of $30,000 or $50,000-$100,000 to purchase a new one? Those were the options faced by one ophthalmologist who turned to the Internet when he needed a CO2 laser. -
Think twice before buying from auctions
When considering purchasing items from on-line auctions, buyer beware, says Deb Ulmer, MSN, RN, nurse administrator at Lake Mary (FL) Surgery Center. -
Ticket to satisfaction: Personal movie players
Your front desk staff members have to be courteous, friendly, and patient, even when they are asked, How is my family member doing? for the 10th time in a two-hour period. -
Argon plasma coagulation minimizes risk of injury
One of the most frightening aspects of injuries caused by stray electrosurgical current is that almost 70% of these injuries are undetected during surgery and 25% of patients with undetected burns during surgery die, even after aggressive treatment once the injury is discovered. -
Panel: Insurers favor more costly back pain treatments
Insurance companies favor fusion surgery over back pain management therapies, according to a recent panel of orthopedic surgeons, interventional radiologists, physiatrists, and pain management specialists from academic centers. -
Same-Day Surgery: When to cut the cord with a management company
Question: Our surgery center has a management contract with a well-known surgery center management company. Our board is considering terminating that contract because everything is running well at the center, and they dont want to pay the high fees per month (6% of net collected revenue). -
Bariatric surgery available to more Medicare patients
Outpatient surgery programs will be able to offer the outpatient lap band procedure to Medicare beneficiaries following an announcement that the procedure now is covered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). -
CMS approves $50 added fee for new IOL
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the approval of a new class of New Technology Intraocular Lenses (NTIOL) that is eligible for an additional $50 payment when the lens is provided in a surgery center. -
CDC to conduct survey on outpatient surgery
For the first time since 1996, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will conduct the National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery (NSAS). -
Random unannounced surveys end in 2007
Although the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations previously announced that random unannounced surveys would continue through 2008, the date for the end of random unannounced surveys has been changed to Dec. 31, 2007, says Mark Forstneger, spokesperson for the Joint Commission. -
SDS Accreditation Update: Rapid response teams are not just for inpatient units
Rapid response teams are a strategy that relies on a team called to a patients bedside to investigate potential problems that might lead to a Code Blue, and this strategy is proving effective in reducing patient deaths. -
SDS Accreditation Update: Alert addresses medication errors
More than 10% of all sentinel events reported by organizations accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations relate to medication errors, and in ambulatory and office-based surgery organizations the rate is almost 8%. -
SDS Accreditation Update: JCAHO tips to avoid medication errors
The most recent Sentinel Event Alert issued by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations addresses medication reconciliation and the importance of this process in reducing the risk of medication errors. -
Patient Safety Alert supplement