Long-term opioid use in family members linked to persistent postop use in adolescents, young adults
Editor's Note Long-term opioid use among family members was associated with persistent postoperative opioid use in opioid-naรฏve adolescents and young adults and should be screened for preoperatively, this study finds. Of 346,251 opioid-naรฏve patients aged 13 to 21 years having common surgical and dental procedures, persistent opioid use occurred in…
CMS updates Star Ratings, proposes future changes
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on February 28 updated its Overall Hospital Star Ratings on the Hospital Compare website and posted potential changes to the Hospital Star Ratings methodology for public comment. The proposed changes would make hospital comparisons more precise and consistent, and allow…
Thank you for registering for the April 11, 2019 webinar
Thank you for registering for theย Using Value-Based Management to Transform American Healthcare webinar. You should receive a confirmation email shortly with instructions on how to access the webinar. If you do not receive this email, please contact us at 1-888-707-5814 orย [email protected].
[Free Webinar] Using Value-Based Management to Transform American Healthcare
Register Now [form april-2019-webinar-elevate-registration] Webinar Date: Thursday, April 11, 2019 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET 1 CE The transformation of American healthcare from fee-for-service (FFS) to value-based reimbursement is well underway. In a value-based system, providers are paid based on patient health outcomes, where โvalueโ is a measurement…
Association of overlapping surgery with outcomes
Editor's Note In this multicenter study, overlapping surgery was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality or postoperative complication rates, but it was significantly linked to increased surgery time. Researchers from Stanford University, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard, analyzed 66,430 procedures, of which 8,224 were overlapping. Overlapping surgery…
FDA: Class I recall of Physio-Control LIFEPAK 15 Monitor/Defibrillator
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on February 27 identified the recall by Physio-Control, Inc (Redmond, Washington) of its LIFEPAK 15 Monitor/Defibrillator as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the device may โlockupโ (freeze) after a shock is delivered. Once it freezes, it cannot…
Elevating standard of endoscope reprocessing with terminal sterilization of duodenoscopes
Editor's Note Terminal sterilization of duodenoscopes can be achieved with a hydrogen peroxide-ozone sterilizer, this study finds. A sterility assurance level of 10-6 was achieved under laboratory worst-case conditions and under clinical conditions using a hydrogen peroxide-ozone sterilizer with regulatory clearance for terminal sterilization of duodenoscopes (STERIZONE VP4, TSO3 Inc,…
Joint Commission accepting applications for leaders in eCQM proven practices
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on February 27 that in support of organizations adopting electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs), it is accepting applications from accredited hospitals and health systems for the โ2019 Pioneers in Quality Proven Practices Collection.โ The organizationsโ success stories can be used as learning tools to…
Physician well-being and burnout improving, but increased burnout risk remains
Editor's Note Though physician burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration are improving, physicians remain at high risk for burnout, compared to workers in other fields, this study finds. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, and the American Medical Association surveyed 30,456 US physicians in more than 20 specialties; 5,197…
ASCA: CMS makes minor changes to Emergency Preparedness requirements for ASCs
Editor's Note The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) on February 26 announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released aย Memorandum Summary with updates to Appendix Z of the State Operations Manual, which outlines the Emergency Preparedness requirements for CMS providers and suppliers. The primary change that affects…