The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE; Oak Brook, Illinois) wants to reassure patients that gastrointestinal endoscopy is a safe and effective procedure. The recent news that patients at an endoscopy center in Nevada may have been infected with hepatitis C that could have been spread when clinic staff used unsafe injection practices related to the administration of anesthesia medication shines the spotlight on the importance of infection control practices. This incident should not deter patients from undergoing any endoscopic procedure, as infections such as this occur rarely.

“It is important to realize that the exposures did not result from the procedure itself but from the use of unsafe injection practices related to the medication administration. Endoscopy, when practiced by expertly trained physicians who follow the practice guidelines set forth by the ASGE, is a safe, well-tolerated and potentially life-saving procedure,” said Grace Elta, MD, president of the ASGE.

Dynacq now on Nasdaq global market

Dynacq Healthcare (Houston) said that the company's common stock will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Market instead of the Nasdaq Capital Market. The trading symbol for the company’s common stock will continue to be DYII.

Dynacq Healthcare is a holding company. Its subsidiaries provide surgical healthcare services and related ancillary services through hospital facilities.

AHA endorses SIS surgical solution

The American Hospital Association (AHA; Chicago) reported endorsement of the Surgical Information Systems (SIS; Alpharetta, Georgia) surgical scheduling solution consisting of SIS patient scheduling, SIS staff scheduling and SISWeb.

SIS’ surgical scheduling solution was selected for its demonstrated flexibility, stability and value after an extensive review process that included a product demo, customer interviews and in-depth research by a panel of experts.

“Hospitals have told us that surgical scheduling is one of the most critical challenges affecting patient flow,” said Anthony Burke, AHA Solutions president. “We have identified the SIS scheduling products as tools that will help hospitals optimize capacity, increase throughput and improve patient care. By awarding this endorsement to SIS, we bring focus to the important role of not just patient flow but the perioperative data flow within the hospital. SIS is a proven leader in the perioperative space and a welcome new partner.”

SIS provides software solutions designed to add value throughout the perioperative process.