Postop effect of vaccination status, mode of anesthesia on COVID-19 patients
Editor's Note This study by researchers at Kaiser Permanente and the University of California, San Francisco-East Bay, Oakland, finds that having a surgical procedure shortly after COVID-19 infection was not associated with higher risks in fully vaccinated patients or those who did not have general anesthesia. The analysis included 228,913…
New Johns Hopkins program prepares nurses for policy engagement
Editor's Note The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) on October 12 announced that it has created a new Policy Honors Program for nursing students to gain experience and foundational skills in policy analysis and advocacy. The two-semester program will include discussion-based seminars, faculty mentoring sessions, a policy project, and…
Rates of surgical consultations for Black vs White patients after ED admission
Editor's Note In this study from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, researchers find that Black Medicare patients were less likely to receive surgical consultations than White Medicare patients after being admitted from the emergency department (ED) with an emergency general surgery condition. Of 1,686,940 Medicare patients included in the analysis,…
Changes to Joint Commission EC, LS chapters to take effect Jan 1
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on October 12 that several revisions that have been made to the Environment of Care (EC) and Life Safety (LS) chapters for certain accreditation programs, including Hospital, Critical Access Hospital, Ambulatory Health Care, and Office-Based Surgery, will take effect January 1, 2023. The changes…
USDA will award $110 million in grants to improve rural healthcare systems
Editor's Note On October 12, The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced in a press release that they will award $110 million in grants to improve healthcare facilities in rural areas. This Emergency Rural Health Care Grants Program is made available through the Biden-Harris Administrationโs American Rescue Plan…
FDA authorizes bivalent COVID-19 vaccines as boosters for younger groups
Editor's Note On October 12, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, Bivalent, to authorize their use as a single booster dose in younger groups, Health Purchasing News October 12 reports. The Moderna vaccine is now authorized for…
Nearly half of US adults surveyed said they mislead others about their COVID-19 status
Editor's Note This national survey study led by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, and Middlesex Community College, Middletown, Connecticut, finds that nearly half of US adults surveyed reported misrepresentation of and nonadherence to COVID-19 public health measures. Among the survey findings: Of 1,733…
ACS comments on colonoscopy study
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on October 11 issued comments on a European study examining colonoscopies that was published October 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which looked at colonoscopies in Sweden, Poland, Norway, and the Netherlands, seemed to question the effectiveness of…
[Free Webinar] Perioperative Readiness to Optimize the Surgical Schedule
Watch now on-demand by completing the form below. Abstract Disruption to the OR schedule is far too common.ย Attempts to fix issues come at a high cost (overnighting supplies, staff overtime). These disruptions frustrate staff, impact patient care, and cut into profit margins. When you are able to streamline operational…
Report: More than half of administrative healthcare spending in the US is wasteful
Editorโs Note A report published in Health Affairs on October 6 claimed that up to 30% of healthcare spending is used for administrative purposes, and more than half of that is not significantly contributing to health outcomes, Beckerโs Hospital Review October 10 reports. In 2019, Health Affairs launched the Council…