Editor's Note Using a computerized mathematical model, Johns Hopkins researches investigated whether they could improve heart and lung transplants by transferring patients from low- to high-volume transplant centers. Among the findings: For heart transplants, 10 lives were saved after one center closure, and 240 lives were saved after up to…

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Editor's Note A total of 86% of general public respondents to a national survey want 16-hour shifts for first-year residents to remain, and 80% support dropping the maximum shift limit for second-year residents and above from 28 hours to 16 hours. The survey was conducted by Public Citizen, an independent…

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Editor's Note Despite significant challenges in their careers, cardiothoracic surgeons report a very high level of job satisfaction in a survey published online September 13 in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons reports. The 63-question survey was administered to more than 4,300 members of the Society…

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Editor's Note Researchers at Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, are conducting a clinical trial to test the effect of administering antiviral therapy to organ recipients after being transplanted with kidneys infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The first participant received a kidney transplant in July, and after being treated with Zepatier…

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Editor's Note A study by Adventist University of Health Sciences (Orlando, Florida) found that 92% of nurses were dissatisfied with their electronic health record (EHR) technology. In addition, 85% said the EHRs had flaws, and 84% said EHRs disrupted their productivity and clinical workflow. The researchers also found an increase…

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Editor's Note Postoperative readmissions are difficult to predict when the patient is discharged, and of the information available at that time, preoperative factors are the most important, this study finds. Of nearly 240,000 surgical patients included in the analysis, 43% were orthopedic, 39% were general, and 18% were vascular. The…

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Editor's Note Since Medicare adopted its prospective payment system in 1985, many hospital executives and economists have suggested that the hospital chargemaster (list of prices for all hospital procedures and supplies) is irrelevant. However, in this study, researchers found that hospitals are systematically adjusting their charge-to-cost ratios (ie, chargemaster price…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 7 released its 2017 ORYX Performance Measurement Reporting Requirements for accredited hospitals. Hospitals will report on 5 chart-abstracted measures and a choice of 6 of 13 electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs). Critical access and small hospitals may choose the six eCQMs from 13…

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Editor's Note The implementation of Lean system redesigns was associated with a significant and sustained wait list reduction from 33.4 days to 12.0 days for patients waiting for elective general surgery in a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital, this study finds. Along with the three-fold decrease in wait times from 2014…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on September 8 announced that it will give physicians and other clinicians more options in the first year to comply with the new Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) quality payment program.  During 2017, providers will be able to…

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