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I
n surgery, the state of the art rarely stands still. While techno-
logical advances have long been the primary driver of change,
recent years have seen the impact of the economy on how sur-
gical care is delivered. Here are 3 ways that healthcare reform
and its effects will change the way your OR works.
1
It'll be busier, but EMRs breed efficiency
The aim of 2010's Affordable Care Act is to insure the unin-
sured. This is likely to create a larger patient population,
which could in turn lead to higher case volumes in surgical facili-
ties nationwide.
"There will be a great demand for preventive services," says
Debra Ann Maleski, MBA, a senior associate at the ECRI Institute,
a non-profit healthcare research organization in Plymouth
Meeting, Pa. "This will result in additional imaging and surgical
procedures needed and ordered," particularly among Medicare
patients and others who don't face high deductible barriers.
Clearly, the surgical workplace will need to adapt to meet this
demand. "Estimates I've seen run as high as a 10 to 15% increase
in volume," notes Terry Miller, BSEE, executive vice president of
S U R G I C A L T E C H N O L O G Y
Here's what experts think the Obamacare OR
will look like. David Bernard | Senior Associate Editor
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