Most hospitals will get increased Medicare payments in 2019
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced December 3 that more than 1,550 hospitals will share $1.9 billion in bonus payments under the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program for FY 2019. Though it is a slight decline from FY 2018, average performance scores were higher at 38.1%, compared…
Study: Fish oil does not increase bleeding risk in cardiac surgery patients
Editor's Note Fish oil did not increase perioperative bleeding and reduced the number of blood transfusions in cardiac surgery patients, in this study. A total of 1,516 cardiac surgery patients were randomized to perioperative fish oil or placeboโfrom 2 to 5 days before surgery until discharge. The primary outcome of…
FDA updates draft guidance on safety of US blood supply
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on December 4 updated a draft guidance that promotes the development and adoption of innovations to ensure continued safety of the US blood supply. The draft guidance entitled, โBacterial risk control strategies for blood collection establishments and transfusion services to enhance the safety…
Effect of changes in hospital nursing resources on patient safety, quality care
Editor's Note Improvements in hospital work environments, nurse staffing, and educational levels of nurses coincided with improvements in patient safety and quality of care in this panel study from Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia. Using data from a panel of…
FDA: Class I recall of Synaptive Medicalโs BrightMatter Guide with SurfaceTrace Registration
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 30 identified the recall by Synaptive Medical of its BrightMatter Guide with SurfaceTrace Registration, which is used to perform neurosurgical procedures, as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of a software defect that could potentially result…
Statewide comparison of postop opioid prescribing in teaching vs nonteaching hospitals
Editor's Note In this study, patients in teaching hospitals in Michigan received significantly larger postoperative opioid prescriptions and had higher rates of high-risk prescribing compared with nonteaching hospitals in the state. The amount of opioid prescribed in initial opioid prescriptions varied 4.7-fold across hospitals, from 130 to 616 oral morphine…
First accredited VR continuing medical education course filmed at Cedars-Sinai
Editor's Note The first 360-degree virtual reality (VR) accredited continuing medical education course in gastro-intestinal (GI) surgery was filmed at Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, and is now available for streaming, Cedars-Sinai announced on December 3. The course is a collaboration between Cedars-Sinai and the streaming medical platform GIBLIB. The content closely…
Trauma of hospitalization associated with greater risk of readmission, ED visit
Editor's Note Poor sleep, missed meals, less physical activity, and stress during hospitalization was associated with a greater risk of 30-day readmissions and emergency department (ED) visits, in this Canadian study. In this analysis of 207 patients, 75 (36.2%) reported sleep disturbance, 162 (78.3%) reported mobility disturbance, 114 (55.1%) reported…
Joint Commission revises anticoagulant NPSG
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 28 announced that it had revised National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) 03.05.01. The revisions apply to organizations that initiate, manage, and adjust dosage for anticoagulant medications, including accredited ambulatory health care (in medical centers only), hospitals, critical access hospitals, and nursing care centers.…
SSI incidence, risk factors in total knees
Editor's Note In this 9-year prospective cohort study from Spain, researchers identified surgical site infection (SSI) risk factors that showed the necessityย to strictly comply with wound decontamination and patient preparation protocols, reduce the length of surgical time, and identify patients requiring comprehensive monitoring. This analysis of 1,969 patients who…