Surgical smoke, or the emissions caused by cauterization instruments and lasers used in operations, can present a risk to nurses and physicians working in operating rooms, according to The Joint Commission.

Cardinal Health is taking corrective actions related to the recall of 9.1 million surgical gowns, which could generate a company loss of $96 million in the second quarter, according to a Jan. 30 announcement.

Here are some of the most popular quality stories from 2019:

  Three experts shared their tips on quality improvement for ASCs with Becker's ASC Review:

Osso VR helps surgeons train for procedures in ways that simulation centers never could, The Washington Post reports.

Coolant leaked inside the University of Virginia Battle Building in Charlottesville overnight Jan. 10, resulting in an ASC's closure as crews cleaned up the spill, according to local NBC affiliate NBC29.

Vermont is the healthiest state in the U.S., while Mississippi is the least healthy, according to America's Health Rankings, a list released by the UnitedHealth Foundation.

With more than 60 percent of surgeries taking place in ASCs and outpatient units, The Leapfrog Group decided earlier this year to begin collecting quality and safety data on the increasingly popular facilities. Initially, the effort was met with enthusiasm.

The all-cause hospital transfer/admission rate for ASCs dropped between the second and third quarter of this year, the ASC Quality Collaboration's latest ASC quality report reveals.

Healthcare safety ratings company the Leapfrog Group is accepting comments on changes it plans to make to its 2020 ASC quality survey.

Vermont is the healthiest state in the U.S., according to America's Health Rankings, a list released by the UnitedHealth Foundation.

Becker's ASC Review reported on four ASCs or ASC operators affected by data breaches this year.

ASCs stand to save costs for Medicare and its beneficiaries over the next 10 years, according to an analysis conducted by Brent Fulton, PhD, and Sue Kim, PhD, of the University of California-Berkeley Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare.

More than one healthcare data breach was reported every day in October, according to the HIPAA Journal.

A physician-owned hospital in Ohio has received a 2019 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award, according to the Springfield News-Sun.

Five experts shared their tips on quality improvement for ASCs with Becker's ASC Review:

Dayton, Ohio-based Surgery Center at Corporate Way was named the 2019 Rookie Business of the Year by Dayton Business Journal.

The ECRI Institute will merge with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in early 2020, forming one of the world's largest independent entities focused on patient safety, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Robotic surgery is attractive to patients and surgeons alike. These procedures can result in quicker postoperative discharge and lower levels of postsurgical pain. Performing them in the ASC setting has the added benefit of lowering costs for payers.

Conducting quality assurance and performance improvement studies is an integral part of running a successful ASC, but the studies must be well thought out if they're going to be a valuable way to spend staff time, according to ASC software developer Surgical Information Systems.