CMS: New online tool compares cost differences for outpatient procedures
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 27 launched a new online tool that compares Medicare payments and co-payments for certain outpatient surgical procedures performed in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. The โProcedure Price Lookupโ tool will help Medicare patients consider potential cost differences when…
Incidence of sharps injuries among surgical staff
Editor's Note This meta-analysis found that a surgeon will have a sharps injury in about 1 in 10 surgical procedures.ย Of 45 studies analyzed, the incidence rate was 13.2 sharps injuries per 100 time-units. Per 100 person-years, the rate was 88.2 for self-reported injuries, 40.0 for perforations, and 5.8 for administrative…
HHS issues draft strategy to reduce burdens linked to EHRs, health IT
Editor's Note The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on November 28 issued a draft strategy to reduce administrative and regulatory burdens caused by electronic health records (EHRs) and health information technology (health IT). The draft โStrategy on Reducing Regulatory and Administrative Burden Relating to the Use of Health…
Study: 'Meaningful use' of EHRs linked to shorter LOS
Editor's Note Hospitals that successfully attested to "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHRs) experienced a shorter patient length of stay (LOS) in this study. This analysis of patient data from California categorized hospitals into one of three categoriesโpartial adoption of EHRs, full adoption of EHRs, and meaningful assimilation of…
FDA: Class I recall of Zimmer Biomet spinal fusion, long bone stimulators
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on November 26 identified the recall by Zimmer Biomet (Warsaw, Indiana) of its Osteogen Implantable Bone Growth Stimulator, SpF PLUS-Mini Implantable Fusion Stimulator, and SpF-XL Implantable Spinal Fusion Stimulator as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the…
Reliability of measuring surgeon spending for MIPS
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should measure surgeon spending at a group level or incorporate multiple years of data to reduce misclassification of surgeon performance in its Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program, this study finds. University of Michigan researchers found that annual cost-profiles of individual…
FDA plans big changes to 510(k) pathway
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 26 announced that it plans to modernize its 510(k) approval pathway by pushing device manufacturers to rely on predicate devices that are not older than 10 years. Under the existing pathway, manufacturers can pursue expedited approval for devices that are…
FREE WHITE PAPER - Smarter Supply Chain Management
Technology adoption in healthcare has never been greater, as hospitals adhere to meaningful use criteria to make data more transparent in supporting patient care initiatives. But technology alone is not enough. Positioning for long-term operational success requires a strategic approach to change management that includes people, process, and technology. Supply…
Multimodal program reduces job stress in ICU nurses
Editor's Note In this study, a multimodal program that included education, role-play, and debriefing resulted in a lower prevalence of job stress in intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. A total of 198 ICU nurses from 8 hospitals in France were randomized to the multimodal program intervention group (101 nurses) or…
FDA: Fresenius Kabi recalls sodium chloride injection
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 20 announced the nationwide recall by Fresenius Kabi USA (Lake Zurich, Illinois) of 163 lots of sodium chloride injection, USP, 0.9%, 10 mL and 20 mL vials. The recall was initiated because the product insert incorrectly states that the vial…