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Intermountain Health has opened a new clinic in Colorado to reduce wait times for patients in the state who are awaiting a kidney transplant. Patients in Colorado can now complete pre- and post-operative appointments at Intermountain Health Good Samaritan Hospital…

U.S. hospitals have performed more than 200,000 unnecessary vertebroplasty, spinal fusion and laminectomy operations since 2020, costing Medicare nearly $2 billion, according to research from the Lown Institute.  Using Medicare fee-for-service claims data from 2021 to 2023 and Medicare Advantage…

Columbus, Ohio-based OhioHealth is launching an $8.5 million renovation of the operating suite at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Kenton, Ohio. The project will modernize two operating rooms and aesthetically enhance two other OR suites, one of which will become a…

A customized, team-based strategy significantly reduced unnecessary pre-operative testing for common elective surgeries, according to a new study led by researchers at Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine.  The intervention, called Right-Sizing Testing Before Elective Surgery, or RITE-Size, was piloted at three…

Stryker’s Smoke-Free OR Campaign Julie Greenhalgh, RN, BSN, CNOR, never smoked a day in her life, yet she has all the tell-tale signs that will plague her for the rest of her life: the raspy voice, the chest-deep rattle when…

Daniel Eun, MD, is the chief of robotic surgery at Philadelphia-based Temple University Hospital. He also serves as director of minimally invasive robotic urologic oncology and reconstructive surgery at the hospital.  With a background rooted in the beginning of robotic…

The American Society of Anesthesiologists released a warning that recognizes “boom strikes” as a potential staff and patient safety risk, especially in outpatient procedure sites and after hours. Boom strikes happen when an anesthesiologist or another provider strikes their head…

NYC Health + Hospitals has reduced annual anesthesia-related carbon emissions 52% systemwide by curbing the use of nitrous oxide — a common anesthetic and highly potent greenhouse gas. The initiative began in 2022 at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue with a…

Operating rooms (ORs) are the financial backbone of hospitals, yet outdated scheduling practices and poor OR block utilization can drain valuable resources and increase staff burnout. During a March Becker’s Hospital Review webinar sponsored by LeanTaaS, Joel Shaw, MD, vice…

The American College of Surgeons has recognized 58 U.S. hospitals for achieving "meritorious" surgical care outcomes in 2023.