Government payment policies linked to hospital performance fail to improve CAUTI rates
Editor's Note This study found no evidence that value-based incentive programs (VBIPs), which link financial incentives or penalties to hospital performance, had any measurable association with changes in catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine analyzed 592 hospitals across the country, and found that…
Joint Commission revises Sentinel Event Alert on diagnostic radiation
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 13 announced the revision of its Sentinel Event Alert on diagnostic radiation, which was updated to also address risks associated with fluoroscopy. The original Alert, โIssue 47: Radiation risks of diagnostic imaging and fluoroscopy was published in August 2011.
Use of โhot spottingโ to identify high-cost surgery patients
Editor's Note Because a subset of patients are responsible for a disproportionate share of Medicare spending, targeting high-cost patients (ie, โhot spottingโ) for cost containment efforts would be an effective strategy to reduce costs in surgical patients, this study finds. Using Medicare claims data from 2010 to 2013, University of…
FDA: Class I recall of Edwards Lifesciences Swan-Ganz Thermodilution Catheter
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 5 identified the recall by Edwards Lifesciences (Irvine, California) of its Swan-Ganz Thermodilution Catheter as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of incorrect assembly and reversal of catheter lumens that can expose the patient to serious…
Study: Measuring patient steps after surgery predicts LOS
Editor's Note Using Fitbit activity monitors to improve assessment of daily ambulation, this study found that each step taken towards 1,000 steps the day after major surgery resulted in significantly lower odds of a prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS). This analysis of 100 patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los…
FDA warns of link between breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 6 posted a letter that was sent to healthcare providers to increase their awareness of the association between all breast implants, regardless of filling or texture, and breast implant associated-anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). As of September 30, 2018, the…
Less anesthesia during surgery doesnโt prevent postop delirium in older patients
Editor's Note Closely monitoring of brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG) and minimizing anesthesia in older patients during surgery had no significant effect on the occurrence of delirium after surgery, but it was linked to lower 30-day mortality, this study finds. In this analysis of 1,232 older surgical patients, researchers assigned…
Joint Commission announces new Speak Up campaign on infection prevention
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 6 announced its new Speak Up campaign that focuses on ways to prevent infection. The Joint Commission offers free educational resources that include: an infographic poster/flyer an animated video a guide with recommendations on how healthcare organizations can use and provide the materials…
Study: Outcomes with overlapping surgery
Editor's Note This study from a large academic medical center finds that the practice of overlapping surgery does not expose patients to increased risk of negative outcomes. Data on operative procedures from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2015 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, were used to compare…
ECRI Institute launches new web-based clinical practice guidelines repository with open access
Editor's Note ECRI Institute recently launched ECRI Guidelines Trust, a publicly available web-based repository of evidence-based national and international clinical guidelines as well as Guideline Briefs with TRUST Scorecards. The healthcare community has free access to the repository, which was created after funding cuts forced the Agency for Healthcare Research…