news/January

American Surgical Hospital Association Changes its Name to Physician Hospitals of America

The American Surgical Hospital Association (ASHA) announced at its annual meeting held in Newport Beach, Calif. in early November that it is changing its name to Physician Hospitals of America (PHA). The new name reflects the association’s focus to promote the advancement of hospitals that include physicians as owners, according to executive director Molly Gutierrez.

Physician Hospitals of America was founded in 2001 and has nearly 100 members. PHA offers support, advocacy and educational services to the physician-owned hospital industry, reflecting at all times the best interests of the patients, physicians, and other specialty providers who play an inextricable and essential role in the provision of healthcare services.

“With the end of the federal government’s moratorium on physician ownership in hospitals, the physician-owned hospital industry is growing again,” says Jim Grant, outgoing president of the board of PHA. “Physician-owned hospitals are good for patients, for physicians, for communities and for the healthcare industry.”

Currently, there are approximately 125 hospitals across the U.S. with at least partial ownership by physicians. Additional development is expected across the United States.

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), specialty hospitals offer “improved, cost-effective care.” They “encourage competition between and among healthcare facilities, which has led to the delivery of higher quality, more efficient and innovative healthcare in the communities in which they are located.”

“The future of physician-owned hospitals is exciting,” says Gutierrez. “It is our belief that the physician-owned hospital industry is poised for great success. The realization of such success will certainly benefit the quality of care, efficiency of treatment and choice of service currently available to patients.”

PHA represents physician-owned hospitals through education and advocacy. Based in Sioux Falls, S.D., PHA works with hospitals, state associations and corporations on a national level to promote physician-owned hospitals in the United States. Physician- owned hospitals provide superior patient care, give physicians and patients more control, and provide competition that leads to more efficient delivery of healthcare.

AAAASF Offers Three Error-Reduction Practices to Improve Patient Safety

The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc. (AAAASF) offers three tips to help ensure a positive patient experience in outpatient surgery. Richard J. Greco, MD, of Savannah, Ga., a member of the AAAASF board of directors, provides the following advice:

Mark the operative site. The physician should mark the operative site in the holding area before the patient is brought back into the room. Some facilities have found that using red markers for the right side and lime (green) for the left side reinforces the correct side. Adding a sheet of red paper for right or lime green for left on the front of the chart also can be helpful to prevent wrong-side surgery.

Take time-outs. After the patient is asleep and before the surgery begins, the circulator and surgeon should verify out loud with each other the name of the patient, the complete operation planned and the correct side to have surgery. This helps to make sure that all parts of a combined procedure surgery are thought about and performed correctly as well.

Ensure proper drug identification. When the circulator hands the scrub tech, anesthesia provider, or physician any medicine, he/she should read aloud not only the drug, but the concentration and quantity so that there is not any misunderstanding of the correct drug that is being administered. The individual receiving the drug can read back what he/she believes he/ she has so that the circulator can confirm that it is the correct drug. Drug allergies should be announced at the start of the case to the operative team. This can reduce the risk of using an incorrect drug.

“Quality improvement programs or protocols, as described above, are important topics to help improve patient safety,” Greco says. “Programs can be designed to study any aspect of the patient’s surgery to help improve the overall experience.”

AAASC Offers Comprehensive Document on the Value of ASCs

The American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (AAASC) and a coalition of ambulatory surgery industry leaders, including FASA and state ambulatory surgery center (ASC) associations, has created a new reference document for members of the outpatient community to use in educating state and federal elected officials, in discussions with managed care and commercial payers, and in alerting the public and other interested parties to the value of ambulatory surgery centers.

For a PDF of the document, “Ambulatory Surgery Centers: A Positive Trend in Healthcare,” go to: http://www.aaasc.org/features/documents/ASCTrendReport118061.pdf