The Joint Commission announces 2021 Eisenberg Award recipients
Editor's Note The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum, on April 20, announced the 2021 recipients of the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards, which recognize major achievements by individuals and organizations to improve patient safety and healthcare quality. The awardees are: Individual Achievement Awardee: Hardeep Singh, MD,…
Cybersecurity alert: New ‘exceptionally aggressive’ ransomware threat
Editor's Note In an HC3: Analyst Note alert released on April 18, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a cybersecurity threat warning for a new ransomware group named Hive that HHS called “exceptionally aggressive” and “financially motivated,” Becker’s Health IT April 20 reports. According to the alert,…
CMS releases FY 2023 hospital IPPS proposed rule
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on April 18, released the FY 2023 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. The rule would increase payment rates by a net 3.2% for acute care hospitals that participate in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program and…
ECRI opens new headquarters
Editor's Note In an April 20 news release, ECRI announced the opening of its new state-of-the-art, global headquarters and medical device evaluation laboratory, which is on a 24-acre campus in the Philadelphia region. The headquarters also includes an environmental lab, an accident and forensic investigation lab, high-tech meeting rooms, and…
Hospital masking rules are beginning to differ state to state
Editor's Note Amid reports of rising rates of COVID-19 infection in more than 30 states, some high-traffic, high-contact industries such as air travel are starting to wean off firm masking rules. According to Becker’s Hospital Review April 19, the largest US airlines “dropped mask requirements for domestic flights” starting on…
CJR program reduced some racial differences in outcomes
Editor's Note This study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, finds that Medicare’s Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program led to a reduction of racial differences in hospital readmission rates for patients having hip or knee replacement surgery. The retrospective cohort study included…
ACS: Actors promote STOP THE BLEED in PSA for people of Ukraine
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) announced on April 14 that actors from two medical TV dramas are helping spread lifesaving STOP THE BLEED information to the people of Ukraine in a new Public Service Announcement (PSA). The PSA, which features Ryan Eggold from “New Amsterdam” (NBC/Universal) and…
Why ASCs are attractive to new potential surgeon investors
Editor's Note Becker’s ASC Review March 14 shared six factors for why ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are attractive to up-and-coming surgeon talent looking to partner in the business. The following were compiled “based on interviews with several physicians and surgeons,” Becker’s noted: New surgeons look for formal mentorship to help…
Mayo Clinic: 5 ‘early care tips’ for people with long COVID
Editor's Note Greg Vanichkachorn, director of Mayo Clinic's COVID Activity Rehabilitation Program and a physician in Mayo’s Division of Public Health, Infectious Diseases, and Occupational Medicine, alongside other Mayo Clinic experts, has visited with hundreds of patients diagnosed with long COVID and shared his observations on early recovery steps, Healthcare…
FDA issues EUA for first COVID-19 breathalyzer test, results in under 3 minutes
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 14 issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first COVID-19 breathalyzer test for individuals 18 years and older. According to the agency, this new diagnostic test can detect the virus in breath samples in under three minutes. Under…