FDA issues Safety Alert on human albumin 25% solution (AlbuRx 25) by CSL Behring
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 1 issued a Safety Alert for human albumin 25% solution (AlbuRx 25) by CSL Behring LLC (Kankakee, Illinois). During routine inspection, the company noted the potential for fading print on 50 mL and 100 mL vials, with more effect on…
Seven-year outcomes after bariatric surgery
Editor's Note In this multicenter study of 7-year weight and comorbid health changes after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), most participants maintained much of their weight loss with variable fluctuations over the long term, and comorbid health improvements were sustained after RYGB. Of 2,348 participants,…
FDA: Recall of Pharmacist Choice Alcohol Prep Pads
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 5 announced the recall of 3 lots of Pharmacist Choice Alcohol Prep Pads by Simple Diagnostics (Coral Springs, Florida), which were manufactured by Foshan Flying Medical Products Co Ltd, located in China. The alcohol pads were recalled because of…
CMS finalizes changes to bundled-payment models
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 30 announced a final rule that cancels the mandatory hip fracture and cardiac bundled-payment models, which were to begin on January 1, 2018, and implements changes to the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model. In the final…
Cost-benefit analysis of OR air change rates
Editor's Note Increasing OR ventilation rates to improve outcomes and reduce surgical site infections did not provide cleaner air but did increase operating costs in this study. Air quality was measured at different ventilation rates in three ORs. Increasing air change rates did not provide an overall cleaner environment. Significant…
Joint Commission announces new tool to help with accreditation, CMS compliance
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 29 announced a new software tool, โTracers with AMPTM plus CMS,โ to help hospitals and critical access hospitals manage their Joint Commission accreditation and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) compliance efforts. The tool is a web-based platform that stores a hospitalโs…
Examining surgical outcomes to identify procedures needing additional QI efforts
Editor's Note This analysis of 10 surgical procedures accrued into the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) between 2008 and 2015, identified which procedures improved the most from QI efforts and which needed more. Hepatectomy demonstrated the greatest improvement across the greatest number of outcomes…
November 30 is deadline to avoid EHR payment adjustment
Editor's Note November 30 is the deadline for critical access hospitals that did not achieve meaningful use for the 2016 reporting period to submit hardship forms to avoid a 2018 payment adjustment, the November 27 AHA News Now reports. Inpatient prospective payment system hospitals that did not achieve meaningful use…
EHR vendor linked to MU performance of hospitals
Editor's Note A study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association found that some electronic health record (EHR) vendors consistently outperform others, the November 27 Beckerโs Hospital Review reports. Epic had the highest performance on five of six meaningful use (MU) stage 2 criteria, including view, download, and…
Study shows large shift in cataract surgery from hospitals to ASCs
Editor's Note National data show a large shift in cataract surgeries from hospitals to less expensive ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), where care can be delivered faster and closer to home, this study finds. From 2001 to 2014, the proportion of cataract surgeries performed at ASCs increased steadily from 43.6% to…