Healthcare employment up in July
Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in July to a seasonally adjusted 15,990,500 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on August 6. Thatโs up 36,800 since June. Hospital employment was up 18,300 jobs. The overall unemployment rate fell to 5.4%.
Study finds neutralizing antibodies remain high up to 13 months after COVID-19 infection
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, find that most COVID-19 patients have persistent antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus for more than a year after acute infection. The study also shows that patients with more severe disease had higher…
California is first state to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for HCWs
Editor's Note In an August 5 statement, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) says healthcare workers (HCWs) must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have at least received their second dose by September 30, Fox 5 San Diego reports. This new order is different from last monthโs order that…
CMS issues IPPS final rule for FY 2022
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 2 issued its final Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule for FY 2022. The final rule: increases Medicare payment rates by a net 2.5%, compared to FY 2021, for hospitals that are meaningful users of electronic health records…
Myocarditis, pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, Washington, report on rare cases of postvaccination myocarditis and pericarditis. Of 2,000,285 individuals who received at least one COVID-19 vaccination in the analysis, 20 had vaccine-related myocarditis and 37 had pericarditis. Myocarditis occurred a median of 3.5 days…
The Joint Commission revises HCSS certification program
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on August 4 that revisions to three Health Care Staffing Services (HCCS) certification standards will go into effect January 1, 2022. The changes include: Human Resources Management (HSHR) Standard HSHR.3 will now clarify that this is the organizationโs new employee orientation for clinical staff…
Presence of COVID-19 antibodies in rural HCWs
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at South Dakota State University in Brookings found that only 15% of healthcare workers (HCWs) in three rural communities had antibodies to COVID-19 over an 8-month period before vaccines came out. From May 13 through December 22, 2020, 336 volunteers at five healthcare…
ACS urges surgeons to take active role in getting patients vaccinated against COVID-19
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on August 4 announced the launch of a โTalk It Upโ campaign to help surgeons address their patientsโ concerns and help them understand the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The campaign includes a series of videos about the importance of vaccination,…
University of Miami researchers find COVID-19 Delta variant spreading rapidly, escaping vaccine immunity
Editor's Note Coronavirus sequencing research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has uncovered several COVID-19 variants present in its patient population, but Delta is the top one and easily transmitted. Though the researchers had identified just two cases of the Delta variant in Miami-Dade County a month…
Florida hospitals again postponing elective surgery
Editor's Note As of August 1, 2021, more than 10,200 people in Florida were hospitalized with COVID-19, which surpasses the 10,179 reported during the previous peak on July 23, 2020, Beckerโs Hospital Review reported on August 2. Because of this peak in hospitalizations, some Florida hospitals and healthcare systems are…