Same-Day Surgery 2003-10-01

Should RNs administer propofol? Providers stand on both sides of issue

Most same-day surgery providers agree that propofol offers great advantages in outpatient surgery: It hastens patient recovery and is easy to titrate.

Final EMTALA regulation retains exemption for off-campus sites

Under the final rule for the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) regulations from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), most off-campus hospital surgery centers no longer will fall under EMTALA.

Sign up for update on EMTALA revisions

You and your facility waited more than a year for the final revisions to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), but are they really good news?

Audioconference clarifies final EMTALA regulations

The final version of the recently proposed changes to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) takes effect Nov. 10.

Medicare publishes hospital OPPS increase

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published proposed payment rates for hospital outpatient services, effective Jan. 1, 2004, and new rates for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), effective Oct. 1, 2003.

Here’s how to save money with your equipment

Buying equipment and servicing it can be a major drain on your programs finances. But you can save a significant amount of money by being actively involved in purchasing and maintaining equipment, says Jerry Henderson, RN, CNOR, CASC, executive director of SurgiCenter of Baltimore in Owings Mills, MD.

Tips on how to set limits on staff conduct

For those of us blessed(?) with children, setting limits on acceptable behavior is nothing new. We have been doing it since the little darlings were born.

Choice of anesthesia affects discharge time

As with all high-volume procedures, same-day surgery managers continuously look for ways to increase efficiency and improve patient care, and there is always room for improvement.

Are you ready for the Oct. 16 HIPAA deadline?

Beginning Oct. 16, providers, with a few exceptions, are required to submit all Medicare claims electronically. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has distributed guidance on how to comply with transactions and code sets for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Analysis examines surgery in physician offices

Death or injury is 10 times more likely to occur in a doctors office than at outpatient clinics, according to a just-published review of surgeries performed in U.S. doctors offices.

All in the details: Tracer method looks for thorough notes

The days of accreditation surveyors flipping through policy books and interviewing management team members may not be completely gone, but the majority of information gathered about a same-day surgery program today comes from the surveyors review of patient charts.

Check LSC compliance with new publication

Same-day surgery programs preparing for a Medicare survey can find help in complying with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2000 Life Safety Code in a document focused on same-day settings from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

Surveyors interact more with staff and patients

Although the approach differs from surveyor to surveyor, same-day surgery programs that recently have undergone accreditation surveys notice that surveyors are more interactive with staff and less reliant on policies.

Legible, well-organized records aid compliance

Because the National Patient Safety Goals from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations emphasize clear communication between caregivers, pay attention to the legibility of your records, says Suzanne Fornelli, RN, BSN, administrator of The Surgery Center at Southwoods in Youngstown, OH.

Patient Safety Alert Supplement

Same-Day Surgery – October 1, 2003

October 1, 2003