ACS: Hospitals sustained huge financial losses during COVID-19 because of postponed elective surgery
Editor's Note Two studies presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2021 find that postponement of elective surgical procedures from March to May 2020 because of COVID-19 disrupted surgical care at US hospitals and took away a large portion of hospitals’ total income. Results of one study…
Healthcare employment up in October
Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in October to a seasonally adjusted 16,032,600 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on November 5. That’s up 37, 200 since September. Hospital employment also rose by 1,100 jobs. The overall unemployment rate fell to 4.6 %.
DATE CHANGE: Moving to May
May 16-18, 2022 JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa San Antonio, TX New Dates for the OR Business Management Conference! Omicron infections are on the rise around the country and coupled with cold/flu season, we recognize the burden this has put on our healthcare system and on our perioperative…
[Free Webinar] Nov 9: Perioperative Nursing at the Breaking Point and How We Can Fix It
A Roundtable Discussion with Perioperative Executives from Five Leading US Health Systems Tuesday, November 9 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET | 1 CE Sponsored in partnership by: MobileSmith Health Decades before COVID-19, hospitals were struggling with how to effectively meet and manage standards of patient care. While the current pandemic…
Study: Impact of virtual school on COVID-19 community incidence, mortality
Editor's Note This study, led by researchers at the University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, and the VA Boston Healthcare System, finds no difference in COVID-19 rates between counties where school was held in-person and those that had virtual school, except in the South. Researchers analyzed data from 895…
CDC recommends Pfizer/BioNTech pediatric COVID-19 vaccine
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on November 2, recommended broad use of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Distribution of the vaccine to clinics, children’s hospitals, and pediatricians’ offices across the country have started, with plans to scale up to full…
Durability of antibodies after COVID-19 vaccination in HCWs with, without prior infection
Editor's Note This study from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, finds that healthcare workers (HCWs) with prior COVID-19 infection followed by 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine developed higher spike antibody measurements than HCWs with vaccination alone. Of 1,960 HCWs analyzed, 73 (3.7%) had evidence of previous COVID-19 infection. Among those,…
CMS: COVID-19 vaccine mandates for Medicare providers
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on Novermber 4, released regulations that will require Medicare-participating providers to ensure their staff members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. CMS says: “Facilities covered by this regulation must establish a policy ensuring all eligible staff have received the first dose…
CMS releases final Medicare payment rule for ASCs, HOPDs
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on November 2, released its 2022 final payment rule for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). The final rule increases Medicare prospective payment system rates by a net 2.0%—a combination of a 2.7% inflation update based on…