FDA clears Heartvista’s AI-assisted cardiac MRI tool
Editor's Note Heartvista (Los Altos, California) has obtained clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted One Click autonomous MRI acquisition software for cardiac ischemia exams, the October 30 BioWorld MedTech reports. Integrated with existing MRI scanners, the software uses AI to guide image acquisition,…
Smartphone data helps surgeons understand their patients' postop recovery
Editor's Note Surgeons can better understand the effect of a patient's postoperative physical activity on their recovery by capturing passively-collected accelerometer data from their patients’ smartphones, finds this study presented October 28 at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019 in San Francisco. Patients enrolled in the study downloaded…
CMS releases 2020 final payment rule for ASCs, HOPDs
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 1 released its final payment rule for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). CMS added eight codes to the ASC-payable list, including total knee arthroplasty. CMS also removed total hip arthroplasty and seven spine codes from…
General surgery residents who are mistreated at greater risk of burnout
Editor's Note Half of general surgery residents experience workplace mistreatment at least a few times a year, which greatly raises their risk of burnout and suicidal thoughts, finds a national survey that was presented October 28 at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019 in San Francisco. Survey responses…
Hospital employment up in October
Editor's Note Employment in US hospitals was up 2,100 jobs in October to a seasonally adjusted 5,270,600, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on November 1. That’s up 91,300 more employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment has increased 402,100 in the past year. The overall unemployment rate was…
Cholecystectomy tied to better outcomes when performed soon after admission
Editor's Note Delaying a cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis more than 3 days after admission increased the rate of complications, hospital readmissions, and lengthened hospital stays, in this study presented October 30 at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019 in San Francisco. Using 2012 to 2016 ACS National Surgical…
FDA: ICU Medical recalls Lactated Ringer’s Injection, 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on October 30 announced the nationwide recall by ICU Medical (San Clemente, California) of one lot of Lactated Ringer’s Injection, USP, and one lot of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection because of the presence of particulate matter. The affected lot numbers are: Lactated Ringer’s…
Postop opioid prescribing, use drop after state imposed regulations
Editor's Note A state-mandated policy restricting opioid prescriptions in Vermont greatly reduced opioid prescribing and use by surgical patients at the University of Vermont Medical Center without affecting patient satisfaction with their postoperative pain management, finds this study presented October 29 at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019…
Joint Commission: Deadline approaching for submission of CY 2019 eCQM data
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 29 announced that the deadline for onboarding to the Direct Data Submission (DDS) Platform for submission of CY 2019 electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) is December 20. Organizations that submitted CY 2018 eCQMs through the DDS Platform do not need to be onboarded…
12-hour call shifts improve patient outcomes, lower costs
Editor's Note An acute-care surgery model that caps surgeon call shifts at 12 hours instead of 24 hours for covering surgical emergencies has led to shorter hospital stays, lower infection rates, and lower overall costs for patients with acute appendicitis, finds this study presented October 30 at the American College…
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