ASC Accreditation, Licensure & Medicare Certification

Five former patients of Siouxland Urology Center in Dakota Dunes, S.D., have sued the center for improper infection prevention procedures that may have exposed the patients to blood-borne infections, including HIV, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.

Three patients who were exposed to contaminated equipment at three different VA clinics have tested positive for HIV, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

An official for the Department of Health and Human Services, testifying before Congress, announced plans to launch a new infection control survey tool for ASCs, according to a news release from the ASC Association.

The Patient Safety Authority, a Pennsylvania patient safety group, is urging surgery centers to improve pre-operative screening of patients, according to an advisory released by the PSA.

Thousands of veterans at Miami VA facilities may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV due to contaminated equipment used in colonoscopies, according to report by CNN.

The American College of Gastroenterology has announced it is updating its screening guidelines for colorectal cancer for the first time since 2000, according to a news release by the ACG.

The Joint Commission has marked March 8-14 as National Patient Safety Awareness Week, according to a Joint Commission news release.

The Evans (Ga.) Surgery Center alerted 1,300 patients that they were at risk of a possible infection from improperly sanitized endoscopes used in GI procedures, according to a report in the Augusta Chronicle.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology announced it is offering two new tools to help ophthalmologists avoid wrong site or wrong intraocular lens errors, according to a news release from the AAO.

The Atlantic Surgical Center in Pompano Beach, Fla., has been barred from seeing new patients as of Feb. 5 after an inspection by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, according to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.