Same-Day Surgery – September 1, 2020
September 1, 2020
View Issues
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Preoperative Screening Can Save a Life — If Staff Ask the Right Questions
A physician or nurse might save a life by asking probing questions that cause patients to go deeper in their answers.
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Tactics for Improving Preoperative Screening Questions
Preoperative screening is more than a form with a checklist of questions to be answered. Surgery center staff may be walking a well-worn path, but the key is asking a familiar question in a way that could elicit a different, better response.
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As Uninsured Rates Skyrocket, ASCs Need Flexibility in Collections
With a record number of Americans newly without health insurance, surgery centers face additional financial challenges as they cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. To survive, surgery centers will have to stay flexible and work closely with patients on payment plans.
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Moving into Flu Season, Align Plans with COVID-19 Contingencies
A summary of how to keep employees and patients safe moving into the fall.
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Screen Patients for Frailty, a Major Risk Factor for Death and Complications
Surgeons may be seeing patients who are frail, but those patients may not be recognized as such. Engage in nuanced discussions and shared decision-making with patients. Include information about how even a small operation could lead to death.
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Antibiotic Treatment Before Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Surgery Does Not Help
Patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm that might require surgery should be told there is no treatment to slow the growth of their aneurysm.
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Take to Heart the Best Opportunities for ASCs
Two of the most desirable procedures for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in 2020 and beyond are cardiology and vascular procedures, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has just blessed for ASC reimbursement. Setting up a cardiac lab in an ASC requires some homework. They are not necessarily difficult or terribly expensive, but there are fine details worth understanding well.
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Need a Quality Improvement Project for the Fall? Examine Center’s COVID-19 Response
COVID-19 gives accredited surgery centers both a challenge and an opportunity: Ensuring all policies and procedures are in line with state, federal, and other infection prevention requirements concerning the pandemic.
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AAAHC’s Refreshed Standards Focus on Medications, Site Marking
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care is focusing on site marking and high alert/confused drug name medications as part of new standards set to take effect on Nov. 1.
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Joint Commission’s Patient Safety Goals Emphasize Surgical Site Infections
An overview of the latest revisions.
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Update and Quick Tips on Improving Medication Reconciliation
The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing drug shortages, particularly for generic drugs, as people are stockpiling medication. Stockpiling can make medication reconciliation more challenging for surgery centers as they work to meet related accreditation requirements.