FDA takes steps to address cybersecurity concerns of medical devices
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken steps to ensure that medical device manufacturers do as much as possible to defend against hacking and other threats to their devices, according to a new report from the Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General. The…
Creating standardized process for training new surgeons in robotic surgery
Editor's Note Automated performance metrics can distinguish surgeon expertise during anastomoses and create an objective, standardized way to train new surgeons, this study finds. Researchers used a data recorder plugged into a robotic surgery system to evaluate expert and novice surgeonsโ movements for 70 vesicourethral anastomoses (total of 1,745 stitches)…
FDA: Pharm D Solutions recalls all sterile compounded drugs
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 10 posted the announcement by Pharm D Solutions, LLC, (Houston, Texas) that it had voluntarily issued a recall of all sterile compounded drugs because of a potential lack of sterility. The company says concerns about practices at the pharmacy that…
Study: Physician burnout ups risk of patient safety incidents, clinical issues
Editor's Note Physician burnout was linked to a higher risk of patient safety incidents, lower patient satisfaction, and poorer care in this study. This meta-analysis of 47 studies involving more than 40,000 physicians, found that physician burnout was associated with double the odds for involvement in patient safety incidents and…
Hospital employment continues its rise in August
Editor's Note US hospitals added 8,200 jobs in August to a seasonally adjusted 5,189,300, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on September 7. That is up 94,600 more employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment has increased by 301,100 in the past year. The overall unemployment rate is 3.9%.
Effectiveness, safety of bariatric procedures in Medicare patients
Editor's Note Limited evidence exists about the comparative effectiveness and safety of bariatric surgical procedures in Medicare patients, this review study finds. Of 16 studies analyzed, researchers found that bariatric surgery overall, and in particular Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), sleeve gastrectomy (SG), and adjustable gastric banding (AGB) appeared to be…
Healthcare systems form own generic drug company
Editor's Note Seven healthcare systems representing 500 US hospitals are forming Civica Rx, a nonprofit company that will manufacturer generic drugs, in an effort to combat shortages and skyrocketing prices, cnbc.com reported September 6. The company, which is teaming up Intermountain Healthcare, the Mayo Clinic, HCA Healthcare, and four others,…
Effect of Medicareโs bundled payment program on volume, case mix
Editor's Note Hospital participation in Medicareโs Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) program for lower extremity joint replacement (LEJR) was not associated with changes in overall procedural volume or the majority of patient case-mix factors, this study finds. The analysis of 1,717,243 Medicare patients found hospital participation in the BPCI…
Joint Commission refines scoring on HLD, sterilization
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 5 announced it has refined its scoring for high-level disinfection (HLD) and sterilization to focus on process steps that post the highest risk to patients if they fail. The new scoring revisions apply to: soiled instruments enzymatic solution transportation of instruments instruments in…
Would You Be Scoped in Your Own Facility? Tips and Tricks to Endoscope Reprocessing
Would You Be Scoped in Your Own Facility? Tips and Tricks to Endoscope Reprocessing by Nancy Schlossberg, BSN, RN, CGRN, CER, Program Director-Digestive Health Services, John Muir Health New guidelines from the American Cancer Society recommend that colorectal cancer screening begin at a younger age than what is currently…