Surgical volume changes during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds a severe decline in surgical procedure volumes across specialties during the peak of COVID-19, and after the peak and vaccine release periods, the overall volume did not fully recover. Of 129,956 surgical procedures analyzed during four…
ISMP publishes new perioperative medication safety guidelines
Editor's Note The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) on August 11 announced the publication of its first set of safe practice guidelines to support perioperative medication safety in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and other procedural locations. The new guidelines: Address best practices related to labeling and storage of perioperative…
Study: More than half unaware of Omicron infection status
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, finds that more than half of adults with recent Omicron infection analyzed were unaware of their infectious status. Of 210 adult employees or patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with serological evidence of recent Omicron variant infection: 92…
The Joint Commission: New Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports available
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on August 17 announced that refreshed Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports are now available for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF), inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPF), and long-term acute care hospitals (LTCH) to provide data on a select subset of quality measures. The IPF reports contain data through the…
OR Manager Award nominations accepted through August 26
Throughout the past year, you have likely drawn inspiration from someone on your team or an industry colleague. This person is always ready to help, makes your facility a better work environment, or goes the extra mile to ensure quality outcomes even when not asked to assist. Now is the…
Timing of major surgery after COVID-19 affects postop mortality
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, finds that patients having major surgical procedures within 8 weeks of a COVID-19 infection have a substantially higher postoperative 90-day mortality, regardless of symptoms. Analyzing data on 938 COVID-19 positive patient cases…
80% of HCWs at California hospital exposed to COVID-19, showing symptoms test positive
Editor's Note Some 80% of healthcare workers (HCWs) at Sonoma Valley Hospital, Sonoma, California, exposed to COVID-19 or showing symptoms, tested positive the last 2 weeks of July, the August 15 Sonoma Index-Tribune reports. A total of 97% of HCWs are fully vaccinated, and the remaining 3% have valid exemptions.…
President Biden signs healthcare bill into law
Editor's Note The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law by President Biden on Tuesday, August 16, at the White House, CBS News August 16 reports. This finalizes a signature piece of legislation aimed at lowering healthcare costs, fighting climate change, and raising taxes on corporations. The Senate passed…
Survey: Most hospitals, health systems are increasing investment in ASCs
Editor's Note In this annual survey published by Avanza Healthcare Strategies and titled “2021–2022 Hospital Leadership ASC Survey,” senior healthcare executives and clinical leaders shared insights into hospital-owned and hospital-physician joint venture ambulatory surgery center (ASC) trends. The responses show that “hospitals and health systems of all sizes are expanding…
COVID-19 risk among HCWs according to patient exposure, mask type
Editor's Note This study from Switzerland finds that COVID-19 positivity in healthcare workers (HCWs) was associated with cumulative patient exposure, which could be modulated with the use of respirator masks. Of 2,919 HCWs included in the study, 749 were infected with COVID-19. Positivity was 13% in HCWs without patient exposure.…