Medicare readmission reduction program linked to increased mortality rates
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program has had the unintended consequence of increased short- and long-term mortality in heart failure patients, this study finds. Five years ago, as part of the Affordable Care Act, federal policy makers introduced the Hospital Readmission Reduction…
Nurse-run telephone triage service for after-hour calls by neurosurgery patients
Editor's Note Clinical Advice Service (CAS), a nurse-run telephone triage service for after-hour calls, developed at the Stanford University School of Medicine, provides well-coordinated care to neurosurgery patients while reducing physician workload, this study finds. Between July 2016 and June 2017, CAS nurses received 1,021 after-hours calls from neurosurgery patients.…
Joint Commission updates Patient Blood Management standards
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 8 announced the update of its Patient Blood Management standards to align with AABB standards. Among the changes: educational requirements for those who order and/or transfuse blood defined guidelines on transfusion orders procedures for emergent/urgent patients, including massive blood loss intraoperative methods for…
FDA clears new, faster CBC test
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 6 cleared a new complete blood cell count (CBC) test that can be run in more healthcare settings and offers faster results for patients and providers. The FDA granted premarket clearance and a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA)…
Study: Overlapping surgery is safe
Editor's Note Overlapping surgery can be safely performed without risking patient safety, this study from Emory University Hospital finds. Of 2,275 neurosurgical cases included in the analysis, 1,303 were overlapping and 972 were nonoverlapping. The researchers found no difference between overlapping and nonoverlapping neurosurgical procedures in terms of 90-day postoperative…
FDA: Safety Alert for Cardinal Healthโs Infant/Child Reduced Energy Defibrillation Electrodes
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 6 issued a Safety Alert saying that Physio-Control (Redmond, Washington) launched a voluntary field action for specific lots of Infant/Child Reduced Energy Defibrillation Electrodes manufactured by Cardinal Health (Dublin, Ohio). There is an issue with the artwork on the electrodes…
Interventions increase reporting of adverse events by pediatric anesthesiologists
Editor's Note Electronic mandatory incident reporting system data entry and an initiative to understand and address reporting barriers and motivators were associated with sustained increases in adverse event reporting by pediatric anesthesiologists, in this study. Of 72,384 pediatric anesthetics analyzed, there were 2,689 adverse events. A subgroup of 54,469 cases…
Preop cognitive screening predicts postop complications in older total joint patients
Editor's Note Poor preoperative cognition, as assessed by preoperative Mini-Cog screening, is prevalent among older total joint patients and predictive of adverse outcomes, including postoperative delirium, longer hospital stay, and greater likelihood of discharge to a place other than home, this study finds. Of 211 patients 65 years of age…
Healthcare adds 21,500 jobs in October
Editor's Note Healthcare added 21,500 jobs in October to a seasonally adjusted 15,830,700 employees, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported November 3. Thatโs 300,600 more than a year ago. Hospitals, specifically, added 2,800 jobs in October to a seasonally adjusted 5,130,700 employees, which is 72,400 more than a year ago.…
FDA: Recall of prefilled syringes labeled Midazolam that are actually Ondansetron
Editor's Note The FDA announced on November 3 that Fresenius Kabi USA (Lake Zurick, Illinois) is recalling one lot of Midazolam Injection, USP, 2 mg/2 mL packaged in 2 mL prefilled single-use glass syringes because the packages labeled as Midazolam actually contain syringes that are filled with and labeled as…