FDA finalizes guidance for use of EHR data in clinical studies
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 19 finalized its guidance for using electronic health record (EHR) data in FDA-regulated clinical studies. The guidance is meant to encourage the use of EHR data in clinical studies and promote greater interoperability between EHR and electronic data capture systems.…
Recruiting the next generation of nursing leaders
Editor's Note When recruiting Generations X and Y candidates for nursing administration roles, interventions supporting work-life harmony should be emphasized, this study finds. Respondents to a survey, which examined the impact of a set of interventions on recruiting nurses into administrative roles, indicated that 45% of the interventions had a…
ECRI Institute to continue AHRQโs National Guideline Clearinghouse
Editor's Note ECRI Institute announced July 17 that it will continue providing services of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Qualityโs (AHRQโs) National Guideline Clearinghouse (NCG), which was shut down because of lack of funding. The federal government has relied on ECRI Institute to maintain the NCG since its inception…
Association between skilled nursing facility use and postop readmission rates
Editor's Note Use of postacute care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for total hip replacement (THR) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients was not associated with changes in readmission rates, in this study. Of 176,994 CABG patients at 804 hospitals and 233,955 THR patients at 1,220 hospitals, SNF use…
Slurpee straw inspires smudge-free laparoscopic camera
Editor's Note University of Texas engineering students have created a laparoscopic camera cleaner designed like a 7-Eleven Slurpee straw that keeps a camera smudge-free, the July 17 Medical Design & Outsourcing reports. The โClearCamโ device has a scoop-like shape that acts like a squeegee to clean the camera. Surgeons can…
Preventability of early vs late readmissions
Editor's Note Preventability of readmissions changes with time, this study finds. Readmissions within the first week after discharge were more likely to be preventable by hospital-based interventions, whereas later readmissions were less likely to be preventable and more amenable to ambulatory and home-based interventions. This analysis of 822 patients readmitted…
CMS proposes changes to modernize Medicare, restore physician-patient relationship
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 12 issued a proposed rule that includes updated payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on or after January 1, 2019. Physician fee schedule rates will be updated by…
Surgeon-reported complications vs AHRQ PSIs for identifying adverse events
Editor's Note Surgeon-reported complications in morbidity and mortality (M&M) conferences and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) are complementary approaches for identifying adverse events and informing quality improvement efforts, this study finds. Of 6,563 surgical hospitalizations analyzed, 647 (9.9%) had at least one complication…
Massachusetts will vote on nurse staffing limits in November
Editor's Note Massachusetts voters will decide in November whether to mandate nurse staffing limits in hospitals, the July 9 Boston Business Journal reports. The nurse staffing question, which is being spearheaded by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, will ask voters to establish patient-to-nurse limits in different areas of the hospital. Hospitals…
Joint Commission revises requirements for THKR program
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on July 11 announced that effective January 1, 2019, it will implement a revised eligibility requirement and two revised requirements for the Advanced Certification for Total Hip & Knee Replacement (THKR) program. The revised eligibility requirement and revision to the Performance Measure chapter of the…