House passes mental health parity bill to boost worker protection, impose fines
Editor's Note On Thursday, September 29, the House of Representatives voted 220-205 to pass legislation to impose new fines on insures that do not follow federal mental health pay parity requirements, in order to "hold employer-based health plans more accountable for improper denials of mental health and substance use benefits,"…
Many hospitals are at risk of flooding from hurricanes, study finds
Editor's Note Hundreds of hospitals are at risk of flooding from Hurricane Ian according to a Harvard study, Becker's Hospital Review September 29 reports. As the Category 2 hurricane makes its way through Florida, at least 50 percent of hospitals in 25 metropolitan areas along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts…
Traumatic stress, resilience of nurses during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study led by nurse researchers at Pennsylvaniaโs Reading Hospital and Villanova University, examined the traumatic stress and resilience of nurses who cared for patients with COVID-19. A total of 22 nurses (12 from critical care [CC] and 10 from medical-surgical [MS] units) completed three surveys. Four themes…
The Joint Commission seeking comments on healthcare equity advanced certification program
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 28 announced it is seeking input from the field on requirements for a new advanced certification program focused on improving healthcare equity. The voluntary program will recognize hospitals that strive for excellence in providing equitable care, treatment, and services across multiple domains, including…
Comparison of US hospital charity care before, after COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, finds that between December 2019 and December 2021, nearly one-third of large, tax exempt hospitals improved their charity care policies. Across the 2-year period, 127 of 151 (84.15) hospitals updated their policies, and 77 (51.0%)…
ACS lauds passage of STOP THE BLEED bill in California
Editor's Note The American College Surgeons (ACS) on September 28 announced that the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 2260 that requires the installation of trauma bleeding control kits in newly constructed public and private buildings throughout the state. After the legislation was passed, the ACS State Affairs team worked…
Benefits seen in phase 3 of Alzheimer's drug trial
Editor's Note Eisai, the Japanese drug maker, said on Tuesday September 27, that its experimental drug for Alzheimerโs disease helped slow cognitive decline to those experiencing early stages of the illness. In the phase 3 clinical trials, the drug, called lecanemab, slowed cognitive decline by 27% after 18 months, the…
Binge drinking by young Black, White women increases COVID-19 risk
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Rutgers University finds that Black and White women in their mid 20s who reported frequent binge drinking during the pandemic were more likely to become infected with COVID-19. The researchers examined seven subgroups of 938 young Black and White women ranging from…
Increasing violence contributes to ED physician burnout, impacts patient care
Editor's Note In a recent American College of Emergency Physicians survey, some 85% of emergency physicians say they believe violence in US emergency departments (EDs) has risen over the past 5 years, and 45% say it has โgreatly increased,โ the September 22 EmergencyPhysicians.org reports Two-thirds of the 3,000 physicians surveyed…
[Free Webinar] Lights, Camera, Action โ for Performance Improvement
Watch now on-demand by completing the form below. Abstract Ever walk into your OR and everything is suddenly perfect? Please join this session to learn how new AI enabled technology combined with analytics and surgical video can help you uncover root causes that create dysfunction and inefficiencies in your Operating…