ASC Accreditation, Licensure & Medicare Certification

Wrong-site surgery is one adverse event that occurs with too much frequency in ambulatory surgery centers, says W. Jan Allison, RN, CHSP, director of accreditation and survey readiness, clinical services department, for Surgical Care Affiliates.

Provena United Samaritans Medical Center in Danville, Ill., was in danger of losing its Medicare status after a patient recently suffered burns during surgery but may keep its status following a successful re-survey by state inspectors, according to a Commercial-News…

John Bookwalter, MD, a thoracic surgeon, has been charged with 67 counts of unprofessional conduct, including alleged improper prescribing, according to a Reformer report.

North American Partners in Anesthesia offers a free, downloadable brochure for parents of children who require anesthesia.

The AAAHC Institute for Quality Improvement, a not-for-profit subsidiary of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, recently announced the winners of the 2011 Bernard A. Kershner Innovations in Quality Improvement Awards.

Two Chicago-area physicians have filed lawsuits against the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, arguing a recent law that strips convicted physicians of their medical licenses has been unfairly retroactively applied to them, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

The following question concerns the article, "Overview of Quality Reporting in Surgery Centers: Q&A With ASC Donna Slosburg of the ASC Quality Collaboration." The answer is provided by Donna Slosburg, BSN, LHRM, CASC, executive director of the ASC Quality Collaboration.…

The New York Department of Health has told Peninsula Hospital, based in Far Rockaway, N.Y, to stop accepting new patients and divert ambulances due to patient safety concerns, according to numerous reports, including a New York Daily News report.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has developed numerous free, downloadable posters which provide information on seasonal flu and flu prevention.

The Joint Commission has issued a new Sentinel Event Alert (pdf) urging organizations to take action to reduce repeated doses of radiation to patients from diagnostic radiation tests.