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FDA issues EUA for first COVID-19 breathalyzer test, results in under 3 minutes
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 14 issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first COVID-19 breathalyzer test for individuals 18 years and older. According to the agency, this new diagnostic test can detect the virus in breath samples in under three minutes. Under…
HHS tasked with coordinating federal response to long COVID-19
Editor's Note In a briefing room release titled Memorandum on Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 published on April 5, President Joe Biden tasked Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra “to coordinate the federal response to the long-term health effects of COVID-19,” the American Hospital Association April 6…
Study: Small percentage of Black individuals are becoming surgeons
Editor's Note A study on the trend of general surgery residency application, matriculation, and graduation for Black trainees over a 13-year period, titled “Examination of Intersectionality and the Pipeline for Black Academic Surgeons” and published by JAMA Surgery on February 9, found that few Black individuals apply to surgery programs…
CMS alert: Eligible individuals can get second COVID-19 booster at no cost
Editor's Note On April 6, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a news alert that it will pay for a second COVID-19 booster of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines without cost sharing for all eligible individuals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…
CMS issues warnings on price transparency to ‘about’ 345 hospitals
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) told Becker’s that as of March 2022, it has issued “‘about 345’ warning notices to hospitals noncompliant with its price transparency regulations,” Becker’s Hospital CFO Report April 4 reports. CMS’ price transparency rule went into effect on January 1, 2021;…
AHA: Donations of medical supplies, equipment to aid Ukraine ‘urgently needed’
Editor's Note In a March 23 Special Bulletin, the American Hospital Association (AHA) shared more information on how US hospitals and health systems can support Ukraine and refugees. In the bulletin, AHA said that certain medical supplies and equipment are “urgently needed.” Among the supplies and medicines listed are: baby…
Report: Hospital margins declined during pandemic, not yet recovered
Editor's Note Hospital margins are off to a rough start this year, reports Becker’s Hospital Review March 30. According to a March 28 report by Kaufman Hall, the “median operating margin for hospitals and health systems” was down by 11.8% compared to February 2021 and by 42.4% compared to February…
AORN guideline open for public comment
Editor's Note The AORN Guideline for Medical Device and Product Evaluation is now open for public comment. The public comment period will close on April 1. This guideline, according to the AORN website, “provides guidance to perioperative team members for developing and implementing a process to evaluate US Food and…
AORN updates RSI guidelines
Editor's Note At the 2022 AORN Global Surgical Conference and Expo last week, AORN announced an update to its retained surgical items (RSI) guidance in a session presentation titled, “RSI Guideline, Update 2022,” led by Julie Cahn, DNP, RN, CNOR, RN-BC, ACNS-BC, CNS-CP, AORN senior perioperative practice specialist. This marks…
Nine states see rise in COVID-19 cases
Editor's Note According to the New York Times, which collected data from the US Department of Health and Human Services, COVID-19 cases have decreased nationwide in the last 2 weeks, Becker’s Hospital Review March 24 reports. However, the same data set shows that the number of COVID-19 cases have actually…
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