Prepare for DEA inspections, controlled substances oversight
The headlines are attention grabbing: hospitals forced to pay millions of dollars after employees were found to have stolen opioids and other controlled substances. After being discovered and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the agents uncovered a number of issues: poor record-keeping, inventory, tracking, and other failures that…
Study: Can a mild case of COVID-19 change your brain?
Editor's Note Those who experience anxiety and depression months after a mild case of COVID-19 may have brain changes that affect its function and structure, finds a study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Meeting in April. The study, by researchers at the University of…
23 Texas nurses charged in fraudulent degree scheme
Editor's Note The Texas Board of Nursing has charged 23 nurses with “fraudulently obtaining educational credentials” as part of a national scheme involving thousands of fraudulent nursing degrees, the February 20 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The nursing students paid thousands of dollars to the individuals running the scheme and are…
FDA: Class I recall of certain Philips Respironics ventilators
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 16 identified the recall by Philips Respironics of certain reworked Trilogy 100, Trilogy 200, and Garbin Plus ventilators as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the potential for silicone foam adhesive failure and residual polyester-based…
Connecticut, Arizona nursing schools fail to comply, face shutdown
Editor's Note Connecticut-based Stone Academy is the latest nursing program to close doors on three campuses due to compliance issues related to unqualified faculty, invalid student clinical experiences, and recording attendance, as cited by the Connecticut Office of Higher Education (OHE). This closure comes one year after Phoenix, Arizona-based Aspen…
Patient symptoms, disabilities, financial problems at 6 months after COVID-19 hospitalization
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, finds that cardiopulmonary, financial, and functional problems were highly prevalent in patients at 6 months after COVID-19 hospitalization. This analysis includes a national US cohort of 825 adults discharged from 44 hospitals after COVID-19…
The Joint Commission, AHA finalize automatic data transfer process
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on February 15, announced that it has finalized the process for an automatic data transfer from the American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) Get with the Guidelines—Coronary Artery Disease registry directly into its Certification Measure Information Process tool for the Comprehensive Heart Attack Center certification program. For…
Moderna announces commitment to providing COVID-19 vaccines at no cost
Editor's Note In a press release published on February 15, Moderna announced that will remain “committed to ensuring” people in the US will have access to its COVID-19 vaccines even after the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ends on May 11, 2023, regardless of people’s ability to pay. The public health…
Association of long COVID symptoms with employment status
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that individuals with post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), also known as long COVID, are less likely to be working and working full time. Of 15,308 survey respondents with test-confirmed COVID-19 at least 2 months prior: …
The Joint Commission revises CCC Certification program
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on February 15, announced that its Comprehensive Cardiac Center (CCC) Certification program has been fully revised to: reduce redundancy clarify requirements closely align requirements with other Joint Commission cardiac certification programs. The revised requirements will be effective July 1.