Editor's Note A federal judge in Louisiana declined a case brought by 14 states that challenged the Biden administration’s mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccination for eligible staff at healthcare facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid Programs, the December 8 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The states have 60 days to appeal the…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on December 7 that it was recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference for its actions to decarbonize the healthcare sector and make healthcare facilities more resilient to climate change. The Joint Commission formally…

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Editor's Note This prospective Danish study finds that transfer to a postanesthesia care unit (PACU) immediately after elective hip and knee arthroplasty might be unnecessary in low-risk patients. A total of 696 total knee (274), total hip (287), and unicompartmental knee (135) arthroplasty patients were analyzed. Of those, 307 bypassed…

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Editor's Note Gen Z, the generation born after 1997, will comprise 30% of the workforce by 2030, and they are distinct from their s predecessors in several ways, the December 6 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Among Gen Z’s unique needs and distinctions: 75% believe their generation will change the world,…

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Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in November to a seasonally adjusted 16,623,800 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on December 2. That’s up 44,700 since October. Hospital employment also was up by 11,000 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for November was 3.7%, for a…

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Editor's Note Hospitals and healthcare systems across the nation experienced their 10th consecutive month of negative profit margins, according to data Kaufman Hall released in a report on November 30, the American Hospital Association November 30 reports. The report notes that the pressures of increased expenses is a key driver…

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Editor's Note The OR Manager Conference program committee is seeking presentation proposals for the 2023 conference, to be held September 18–20 at Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Perioperative leaders who have experience or a story to share in the following categories are encouraged to submit a proposal by December…

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I met Jim at one of our first West Coast OR Manager Conferences in San Francisco in the early 90s. He was a speaker that year, and we were seated at the same table at the Speaker’s Dinner. Jim was still in the Navy and was wearing his white uniform.…

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COVID-19 was a catalyst that helped accelerate innovation in healthcare by a decade, says Jay Banerjee, chief operating officer and cofounder of ImmersiveTouch, a virtual reality (VR) surgery company in Chicago. “Many things that would have taken 20 to 30 years happened sooner,” Banerjee says. “Telemedicine; electronic health records; remote…

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The St Elizabeth Healthcare organization in northern Kentucky has eight facilities, including two surgery centers. The flagship hospital on the Edgewood campus has 534 beds and 22 ORs and typically performs some 14,000 surgical procedures per year. Robots help manage the volume. The Edgewood, Florence, and Ft Thomas hospitals have…

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