Here are some of the most popular quality stories from 2019:
1. Saddle Brook, N.J.-based HealthPlus Surgery Center potentially exposed thousands of patients to bloodborne pathogens. Read more here.
2. Columbia Surgical Specialists of Spokane (Wash.) reported a ransomware attack affecting 400,000 patients to HHS Feb. 18. Learn more here.
3. ASCs stand to save Medicare and its beneficiaries more than $57 billion over the next decade, according to an analysis from researchers at the University of California-Berkeley. Read the full story here.
4. The care patients get at hospital-owned physician practices is more expensive than that received at physician-owned practices, but not higher quality, according to a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine cited by Medscape. Read more about the study here.
5. Gerald A. Maccioli, MD, chief quality officer of Envision Healthcare and medical director of Envision's Healthcare Center for Quality and Patient Safety, has nearly three decades of experience in clinical and business leadership. Read his Q&A with Becker's here.
6. Women's Choice Award named the best ASCs for 2019. Read the full list here.
7. With more than 60 percent of surgeries taking place in ASCs and outpatient units, the Leapfrog Group began collecting quality and safety data on the increasingly popular facilities. Read our in-depth analysis of the survey here.
8. Eighty-eight ASCs were named recipients of the SPH Analytics National Apex Quality Award, a distinction recognizing providers who demonstrate excellence in patient satisfaction. Read more here.
9. The Joint Commission released a list of the most common sentinel events in the first six months of 2019. Read more about them here.
10. HHS' Office of Inspector General found at least one infection control deficiency at 55 percent of ASCs, making it the most frequently cited problem between 2013 and 2017, according to a new report. Read more here.
