Takeaways • Patient data & safety are at risk: 94% of hospitals have experienced at least one cyberattack. • Less than half of hospitals in the US carry cybersecurity insurance. • Security is a two-part strategy: cybersecurity insurance as well as preventative measures (eg, encrypted backups, patches, and training). When…

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Takeaways • Healthcare consumers are not aware that they can ask how much something costs. • There is disconnect between the law and common knowledge, and patients generally are confused about what they receive as good faith estimates. • In addition to incorrect CPT codes and OON allowable charges, the…

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ORs are at the heart of healthcare organizations, where critical decisions are made, often under immense pressure. This pressure has escalated with ever-increasing demands, growing complexities, and the constant requirement for innovative solutions. In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and the emerging generative AI…

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Healthcare facilities face challenges in the recall process of tissue, non-biologic implants, and medical devices because of their time-sensitive nature and inherent risks to patient safety and compliance. Hospitals often use secondary sources for recall notifications. These lists, however, do not include two critical pieces—the identification of affected patient cases…

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Editor's Note Washington University School of Medicine, on July 12, announced that a team of its surgeons performed the first robotic liver transplant in the US in May at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St Louis. The patient, a man in his 60s who needed a transplant because of liver cancer and cirrhosis…

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Editor's Note On July 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposal that would increase Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system rates by a net 2.8% in 2024 compared to 2023, including a “proposed 3% market basket update, offset by a 0.2% cut for productivity,” the…

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Editor's Note This study, led by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and the American College of Surgeons, finds that a small number of surgical procedures account for a disproportionate number of surgical site infections (SSIs) in elective pediatric surgery. This multicenter analysis included SSI data from 90 hospitals and 11,689…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on July 12, announced that it is making several changes to its critical access hospital (CAH) elements of performance (EPs) to better align with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation, effective August 27, 2023. The changes are part of CMS’…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on July 5, announced that it had updated its Health Care Equity (HCE) Accreditation Standards & Resource Center and its HCE Certification Resource Center to help organizations meet healthcare equity requirements. New resources in the HCE Accreditation Standards & Resource Center include: the feasibility of…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researcher Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, finds that deliberate actions by management are needed to improve nurse staffing, clinician control over workloads, and work environments. A total of 5,312 physicians and 15,738 nurses at 60 nationally…

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