Older Black men more likely to die after surgery than others
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, finds that postoperative mortality was higher in Black men than Black women, White men, and White women. A total of 1,868,036 Black and White Medicare…
The Joint Commission revises PI requirement for preop, postop diagnoses discrepancies
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 1 announced a revision to Performance Improvement (PI) standard PI:01.01.01, Element of Performance (EP) 4, which has to do with data collection on significant discrepancies between preoperative and postoperative diagnoses. The revision was made after healthcare organizations expressed confusion with the requirement. The…
Transition of general surgery procedures to outpatient settings during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from the Mayo Clinic finds that despite calls for the expansion of outpatient surgery to mitigate the growing backlog of surgical cases during COVID-19, the transition of general surgery procedures from inpatient to outpatient settings occurred in only a small subset of procedures. This cohort study…
The Joint Commission: Refreshed Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports now available
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 1 announced that updated Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports, which provide performance measurement data on certain quality measures, are available for hospitals (HAPs), critical access hospitals (CAHs), ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and nursing care centers (NCCs). ASC reports contain data through the fourth quarter…
Reduce wasted cost amid supply chain challenges
Editor's Note As supply chain challenges remain a top concern for health leaders in 2023, ECRI Institute shared three strategies to reduce wasted cost and maximize savings on February 28. Identify substitute products. Consider lower cost, functionally equivalent products and alternative suppliers. Work towards supply chain standardization. Access utilization. Review…
Postop outcomes in women having CABG surgery
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, finds no significant improvements over the last decade in postoperative outcomes in women undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. This retrospective cohort study included 1,297,204 (317,716 were women) patients who had primary CABG surgery between…
AI may improve colonoscopy accuracy
Editor's Note Researchers at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London are investigating how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to identify colon polyps that might otherwise get overlooked during colonoscopy. The AI system works alongside the physician in real time, scanning the colonoscopy video feed and drawing small, red boxes around…
Balance benefits longevity
Editor's Note A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that in people over 50 years of age, not being able to balance on one foot for 10 seconds was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality within the next 10 years, the February 24 cnbc.com…
Prognostic value of preop surgeon intuition vs ACS-NSQIP risk calculator
Editor's Note This study by researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that preoperative surgeon intuition is an independent predictor of postoperative complications, but it isnโt as strong as the predictive power of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP)…
Survey: Understaffing, paperwork burning out nurses, physicians
Editor's Note A recent Health Day-Harris Poll online survey finds that 63% of nurse and physician respondents are experiencing moderate or severe burnout at work, the February 23 Health Day News reports. Other findings include: 66% of physicians and 75% of nurses cite understaffing as the main contributor to burnout…