VA expands quality tool to include data for all VA medical centers
Editor's Note The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on May 1 expanded its “Access and Quality in VA Healthcare” tool to include inpatient quality data for all VA medical centers, the May 2 AHA News Now reports. The tool, released last month, shows how VA centers compare with regional and…
FDA: Safety alert for Medtronic’s NavLock Tracker
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 3 issued a Safety Alert for Medtronic’s NavLock Tracker. Medtronic has received 196 medical device reports that included two patient deaths after procedures in which non-Medtronic instruments were used with the NavLock Tracker. The NavLock Tracker enables navigation of Medtronic…
Study: Most hospitals received penalties for excess readmissions
Editor's Note More than half of hospitals were penalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in all five years of the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) initiated by the Affordable Care Act, this study finds. Among the study findings: Penalties doubled since the beginning of the program, from…
National Nurses Week is May 6-12
Editor's Note National Nurses Week is May 6-12, with May 12 celebrated as International Nurses Day in honor of Florence Nightingale’s birthday. National Nurses Week is celebrated annually to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. This year’s theme is “Nursing: The Balance of Mind, Body, and…
FDA: Class I recall of Medtronic HVAD controllers, DC adapters
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 18 designated the recall by Medtronic of its HVAD (HeartWare [left] ventricular assist device) system controllers and DC adapters as Class I, the most serious. Medtronic is issuing an updated controller and has begun to remove current HVAD controllers. The…
Surgical outcomes vary at bariatric centers of excellence
Editor's Note Center accreditation alone does not ensure high-quality care for bariatric surgical patients, this study finds. In this analysis of 145,527 patients across 165 bariatric centers of excellence, serious complication rates varied 17-fold at the national level and 2.1-fold at the state level. Complication rates varied at centers with…
New protocol helps identify signs of burnout
Editor's Note Inspired by aviation and medical best practices for handling crises, researchers have developed a Stress-APGAR protocol to help managers anticipate burnout in employees, according to the April 26 Harvard Business Review. The Stress-APGAR acronym includes five key areas: Appearance: How does the employee look−overly tired, changes in weight,…
Cosgrove to step down at Cleveland Clinic
Editor's Note Delos Marshall “Toby” Cosgrove, MD, will step down as CEO of the Cleveland Clinic by the end of the year, the May 1 Cleveland.com reports. Dr Cosgrove will stay on in an advisory role, and his successor will be a practicing physician, keeping up with the Clinic’s history…
Assessing OR airflow using door openings, air particle counts
Editor's Note Air particle counts (APCs) in the OR increase in relation to traffic and door openings, this study finds. Over 1 week, researchers recorded APCs in 5-minute intervals and movement of healthcare workers in the OR. Trained observers recorded information about traffic, door openings, job title of the opener,…
Analysis predicts 4.9% growth for lumbar spine fusion market
Editor's Note An analysis by Absolute Reports predicts the global lumbar spine fusion market will see a 4.9% compound annual growth rate through the next 4 years, according to the April 26 Becker’s Spine Review. Driving market growth is: a growing demand for minimally invasive spine surgeries an increasing incidence…