CMS: COVID-19 vaccine mandates for Medicare providers
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on Novermber 4, released regulations that will require Medicare-participating providers to ensure their staff members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. CMS says: “Facilities covered by this regulation must establish a policy ensuring all eligible staff have received the first dose…
CMS releases final Medicare payment rule for ASCs, HOPDs
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on November 2, released its 2022 final payment rule for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). The final rule increases Medicare prospective payment system rates by a net 2.0%—a combination of a 2.7% inflation update based on…
FDA investigating imported surgical, exam gloves
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on September 29, announced that healthcare facilities and providers should not purchase or use imported surgical and patient examination gloves from companies included on Import Alert 80-04. Companies are listed on an import alert when the FDA has enough evidence that they…
No association of COVID-19 with meeting time-to-surgery benchmarks for orthopedic trauma patients
Editor's Note This study, led by researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, finds that despite the challenges associated with COVID-19, many US hospital systems were able to implement strategies in keeping with time-to-surgery standards for orthopedic trauma patients. Of 3,589 patients from 20 sites in the US and…
FDA: Class I recall of Cardiosave Hybrid/Rescue Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump battery packs
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on October 29, identified the recall by Datascope/Getinge/Maquet of its Cardiosave Hybrid/Rescue Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump battery packs as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk of the battery failing and having a shortened run time, which…
COVID-19 infection of the inner ear may be responsible for hearing and balance problems
Editor's Note This study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, finds that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect cells of the inner ear, including hair cells, which are critical for hearing and balance. A series of 10 COVID-19 patients with audiovestibular symptoms, such as…
CMS penalizes nearly half of all hospitals for high readmission rates
Editor's Note In FY 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will penalize 2,499 (47%) hospitals for excessive patient readmissions, the October 28 Kaiser Health News reports. In its 10th year of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, CMS will cut payments to the penalized hospitals by as much…
Most appendicitis patients can have antibiotics as their first treatment
Editor's Note About half of patients with appendicitis do not need an appendectomy for up to 4 years after receiving antibiotics, finds this study presented October 25 at the American College of Surgeons virtual Clinical Congress 2021. The study was conducted at 25 US medical centers in 1,552 adults with…
FDA: Class I recall of DeRoyal procedure packs containing Smiths Medical Normoflo irrigation warming sets
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on October 6, identified the recall by Deroyal Industries of its procedure packs containing Smiths Medical Normoflo irrigation warming sets as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the possibility of harmful levels of aluminum leaching into the…
Association between virtual care and healthcare utilization during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that the transition to incorporate virtual care into ambulatory healthcare during COVID-19 was not associated with an increased overall number of visits. The researchers identified 10,559,857 ambulatory visits by 1,530,772 patients at their large New…
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