Author: Paige Minemyer Fierce Healthcare Providers have criticized UnitedHealth Group’s individual response to the cybersecurity incident, including its program to offer temporary funding to cover missing claims payouts. (Getty Images) Providers are still feeling the pain brought on by the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, and they’re continuing to push insurers and the feds to beef […]
Anesthesia shortage threatening provider revenue
Author: Patsy Newitt Becker’s ASC Review Surgical services make up around 60% of a facility’s revenue, according to a 2023 white paper from Medicus Healthcare Solutions, making access to a dwindling number of anesthesia providers nationwide even more precarious. “Healthcare leaders continue to face challenges in how to prioritize the recruitment and retention of surgeons, anesthesia providers […]
SEE Question
ASA Monitor March 2024, Vol. 88, You are responding to a code on the hospital floor. As you arrive, the patient is undergoing defibrillation for ventricular fibrillation. According to a recent study comparing administration of lidocaine versus amiodarone during in-hospital cardiac arrests refractory to defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which of the following outcomes is MOST […]
Advancing Perioperative Brain Health: Insights from ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2023 Abstracts
Authors: Donna Ron, MD et al ASA Monitor March 2024, Vol. 88, 1–7. The ANESTHESIOLOGY® annual meeting acts as a conduit for pioneering research, with several abstracts presented in 2023 that shed light on different aspects of perioperative brain health. Four thought-provoking abstracts are synthesized below and in the Figure. These abstracts not only offer novel insights into […]
Another View from Across the Drape: Obstetrics and Gynecology
Authors: Zachary Deutch, MD, FASA; Gregory D. Kainz, DO ASA Monitor March 2024, Vol. 88, 26–27. Welcome to this month’s column, which follows up on a recent piece. Last July, I interviewed cardiac surgeon Jack Pirris, who shared his insights and opinions in a well-received article. Judging from the positive feedback I received, this type of article […]
Trends in Anesthesia
ASA Monitor March 2024, Vol. 88, 14. Effects of surgery on pediatric sleep-disordered breathing A clinical trial funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has found that surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids in children with snoring and mild breathing problems during sleep can improve their quality of life a year after surgery. The […]
The state of physician ownership and ASCs
Author: Patsy Newitt Becker’s ASC Reviews Here are nine key statistics on physician and ASC ownership changes: 1. From 2022 to 2023, the percentage of ASCs that are independent shrunk from 70% to 68%, according to a February report from VMG Health. 2. From 2011 to 2023, the number of ASCs under partnership by a national operator […]
Critical Illness Beyond the ICU – What Is Essential?
Authors: Amos Z. Muzuka, MD, MMed et al ASA Monitor March 2024, Vol. 88, 20–21. The following real-life case is representative of the challenges faced in global health care: A 33-year-old gravida 3, para 3, was referred from a health center 72 kilometers away, presenting with severe post-cesarean section anemia. The referral notes highlighted sustained […]
Long-term Outcomes with Spinal versus General Anesthesia for Hip Fracture Surgery
Authors: Emily A. Vail, M.D., M.Sc. et al Anesthesiology March 2024, Vol. 140, 375–386. Background The effects of spinal versus general anesthesia on long-term outcomes have not been well studied. This study tested the hypothesis that spinal anesthesia is associated with better long-term survival and functional recovery than general anesthesia. Methods A prespecified analysis was conducted of long-term […]
8 anesthesia contracts severed in 2024
Author: Claire Wallace Becker’s ASC Review Several health systems and insurers have seen anesthesia contracts come to an end just two months into the year. Here are eight anesthesia contracts that have been severed in 2024 so far: 1. In a voluntary agreement with Colorado’s attorney general, U.S. Anesthesia Partners ended its contracts with five Colorado hospitals […]