Editor's Note “I don't want to start by asking how many of you have been in your role for 1 to 5 years, or 5 to 10, or 10 to 20,” said Pamela Hunt, BS, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, consultant and associate faculty at Indiana University, during the “Key Budgeting…

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Editor's Note The Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) Act, which is set to take effect in 2025, will set up a separate Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) payment for certain nonopioid pain management techniques in outpatient and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) settings, the September 12 Becker’s…

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Editor's Note The COVID-19 hospital admission rate in the US rose some 16% to more than 17,400 for the week ending August 26, and deaths increased by nearly 18% from the prior week, the September 7 New York Times reports. This marks the seventh consecutive week of increases. The Omicron…

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Editor's Note Rural populations are challenged with access to consistent specialist care, with an average of just 11% of the volume of specialists per 100,000 residents compared to urban areas, according to the National Rural Health Associations. In an effort to combat the shortage of specialists, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital in Alaska…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, finds that redo transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures are both safe and effective. Of 350,591 patients in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry who underwent TAVR with balloon-expandable valves between November…

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Editor's Notes Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in August to a seasonally adjusted 17,014,300 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on September 1. That’s up 70,900 since July. Hospital employment also was up by 14,500 jobs. The overall unemployment rate rose in August to 3.8%, for…

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Editor's Note The rise of the "selfie boom" and social media usage, often referred to as "snapchat dysmorphia" or the "instaface effect," has led to an increase in young adults and teens seeking cosmetic surgeries, particularly non-invasive procedures like Botox and dermal fillers, News Center Maine August 28 reports. According…

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Editor's Note According to this annual report from the AMN Healthcare’s Physician Solutions division (formerly known as Merritt Hawkins), titled "2023 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives" and published on July 24, the average "starting salaries for physicians have rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic," an AMN Healthcare August…

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Editor's Note This study from Trinity Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, compares prepandemic surgical site infection (SSI) rates before reusing personal protective equipment (PPE), to pandemic SSI rates after reusing PPE in trauma surgical patients. A total of 48,987 patients were included in the analysis, with half in the postpandemic group.…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on August 23, announced that updated Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports are available for hospitals, critical access hospitals, and nursing centers. The reports provide performance measurement data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on a select subset of quality measures through the second quarter…

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