FDA: Class I recall of GE Healthcare’s CARESCAPE R860 Ventilator
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 28 identified the recall by GE Healthcare of its CARESCAPE R860 Ventilator as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the ventilator backup batteries, including replacement backup batteries, may run out before they are expected to do…
HHS will not name hospitals where patients contracted COVID-19
Editor's Note According to Politico June 25, the Biden Administration via the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decided not to disclose the names of individual hospitals where patients contracted COVID-19, citing “privacy concerns,” Becker’s Hospital Review June 27 reports. This stance is supported by the American Hospital Association…
Impact of COVID-19 on HAIs in Arizona
Editor's Note This study by researchers from the Arizona Department of Health finds that healthcare associated infections (HAIs) significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). From 2016 through 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Arizona acute care hospitals reported that HAIs decreased significantly: CLABSIs decreased 32%.…
FDA: Class I recall of Baxter’s Volara system with in-line ventilator adaptor
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 23 identified the recall by Baxter Healthcare Corporation of its Volara system with in-line ventilator adaptor as Class I, the most serious. The Volara system is used to clear mucus out of airways, expand lungs, and treat or prevent pulmonary…
Most hospitals not providing price information for TJAs as required by CMS
Editor's Note This study from the Cleveland Clinic finds that less than one-third of US hospitals were fully compliant in 2021 with the transparency in pricing for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) rule mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Of 400 hospitals analyzed between December 1 and…
CDC: US COVID-19 cases, deaths declining
Editor's Note According to the June 24 Becker’s Hospital Review, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) latest US COVID-19 statistics include the following: As of June 23, the 7-day average for newly reported COVID-19 cases dropped 5.6% to 97,430. The weekly average for COVID-19 related deaths dropped by…
FDA: Class I recall of Medtronic’s HVAD batteries
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on June 23, identified the recall by Medtronic of its HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) batteries as Class I, the most serious. The recall for a single lot (Model Number:1650DE) of HVAD batteries was initiated because of welding defects that allow separation…
Newer COVID-19 subvariants show substantial escape from vaccination, previous infection immunity
Editor's Note In a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, report that the three Omicron subvariants (BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5) currently dominant in the US substantially escape neutralizing antibodies induced by both vaccination and previous COVID-19 infection. The researchers…
The Joint Commission: New R3 Report on reducing healthcare disparities
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on June 22 announced a new “R3 Report—Issue 36: New Requirements to Reduce Health Care Disparities,” which examines the rationale and references behind new and revised requirements to reduce healthcare disparities in accredited organizations, effective January 1, 2023. Among the new and revised requirements: A…
Machine learning model uses data from wearable devices to detect COVID-19 in HCWs
Editor's Note Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York City, have developed a machine learning model that uses physiological metrics collected from wearable devices that can detect and predict COVID-19 in healthcare workers (HCWs). A total of 407 HCWs from 7 hospitals were enrolled in the…
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- Legislation proposes to halt Medicare physician payment cuts
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- Proposed tax credit aims to bolster nurse preceptor ranks
- Study links financial conflicts of interest to favorable robotic bariatric surgery research
- Hospitals double down on ambulatory care expansion with major investments
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- FDA announces multiple Class 1 recalls
- Study: ERAS protocol reduces opioid use after cardiac surgery
- Study: Prehabilitation reduces surgical complications, speeds recovery
- Commentary: Studies show how surgeon decisions follow the money