6 hospitals recently cut services over staffing shortages
Editor's Note At least six hospitals across the country have recently cut services or announced plans “to scale back care,” Becker’s Hospital Review July 19 reports. Staffing shortage was the reason each facility cited for the move. The hospitals and cut services are: UH Bedford (Ohio) Medical Center and UH…
CDC advisers endorse ‘more traditional’ COVID-19 vaccine for unvaccinated
Editor's Note On July 19, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisers said the 26 to 37 million adults in the US who have yet to get a COVID-19 vaccination should consider the “more traditional” vaccine Novavax, Modern Healthcare July 19 reports. Novavax is the “first so-called protein vaccine”…
Study: Gum bacteria may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease
Editor's Note A June 2022 study, titled “The Periodontal Pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum Exacerbates Alzheimer’s Pathogenesis via Specific Pathways” and published by Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, found that Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), a common bacteria associated with oral conditions, may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease, HealthLine July 19 reports. According to…
COVID-19 vaccination perspectives, infections among first responders
Editor's Note This study, led by the University of Miami and sponsored by the CDC, finds that unvaccinated first responders (eg, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and others) were more likely to develop COVID-19 and less likely to believe in the effectiveness and safety of vaccines than their vaccinated counterparts. Of…
ACS Quality Verification Program recognizes 25 hospitals
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons Quality Verification Program (ACS QVP) on July 18 recognized its inaugural 25 verified hospitals during the ACS Quality and Safety Conference in Chicago. Launched last summer, ACS QVP provides a standardized method for establishing, measuring, and improving a hospital’s quality infrastructure in all…
Plasma RNA being used to monitor cancer treatment
Editor's Note According to a May 2022 study from UCLA Health, liquid biopsies for certain cancers are becoming more popular because they are less invasive, Healthcare Purchasing News July 18 reports. This method can be used to monitor cancer treatment and accurately evaluate effectiveness. In this study, UCLA researchers studied…
CMS issues proposed rule for hospital outpatient, ASC payment rates for CY 2023
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 15 released its Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule that would raise rates by a net 2.7% in CY 2023. This update is based on the projected hospital market basket percentage increase of 3.1%, reduced by 0.4%…
Childcare stress during COVID-19 linked to burnout in HCWs
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, UCHealth, Aurora, finds an association between healthcare workers (HCWs) reporting high childcare stress and burnout during COVID-19. The researchers surveyed 58,408 HCWs in 208 organizations from October 2021 to May 2022 on their concerns about…
Racial, ethnic disparities in cancer care during COVID-19
Editor's Note This national survey study led by researchers from Stanford University finds that the COVID-19 pandemic was linked to disparities in the receipt of timely cancer care in Black and Latinx adults. Of 1,240 adult cancer patients surveyed, Black and Latinx respondents had greater odds of : involuntary treatment…
FDA: Class I recall of American Contract Systems' COVID Test Kit Nonsterile, Clean Catch Urine Kit
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 14 identified the recall of American Contract Systems’ COVID Test Kit Nonsterile and Clean Catch Urine Kit as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the Kits were assembled in an uncontrolled facility by people without proper…