Hospital consumer ranking systems based on faulty data
Editor's Note More transparency and validation are needed for consumer-based benchmarking methods, this study finds. Researchers evaluated differences between Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services measured rates of safety events for Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and the US News & World Report determined patient safety scores. Discrepancies were found…
Half of physicians dissatisfied
Editor's Note A new survey by The Physicians Foundation finds that half of physicians have reached a tipping point and plan to retire, cut back on work hours, or seek nonclinical roles. Physicians identified regulatory/paperwork burdens and loss of autonomy as the primary sources of their dissatisfaction. Nearly 60% say…
Optimizing pain control and rehab after total knee
Editor's Note This study found no clinically significant differences between continuous femoral nerve block (cFNB), local infiltration analgesia (LIA), and single femoral nerve block (sFNB) for pain during physical therapy 2 days after total knee arthroplasty. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in 48-hour opioid consumption or functional…
Survey: EHRs increase costs, reduce productivity
Editor's Note A Deloitte survey of physicians found that three out of four believe electronic health records (EHRs) increase practice costs, which outweigh any efficiency savings, and seven out of 10 say EHRs reduce their productivity, the October 3 Healthcare Informatics reports. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of respondents want EHRs to…
Joint Commission announces 2017 ORYX performance measurements
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 5 announced its 2017 ORYX performance measurement requirements, effective January 1. Though the Joint Commission is closely aligned with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, it has not adopted all of the electronic clinical quality measures…
Screening for frailty in older surgery patients
Editor's Note Identifying frailty in older patients could increase their chances of surviving surgery and improve their overall outcomes, this study finds. Researchers conducted frailty screening using five characteristics: weight loss, weakness (grip strength), exhaustion, low activity level, and slow gait. Of 125 patients screened in a thoracic surgery clinic,…
FDA: Nurse Assist recalls IV Flush Syringes
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 5 announced the recall by Nurse Assist of its IV Flush Syringes because of a potential link to Burkholderia cepacia bloodstream infections. The syringes are being recalled until a thorough investigation can be completed by the FDA, Centers for Disease…
Variation in Medicare expenditures for surgical complications
Editor's Note In this study, substantial variation was observed across hospitals in Medicare episode payments for patients rescued from surgical complications, and higher payments were not associated with improved clinical performance. Medicare payments for patients rescued at the highest-cost hospitals were two- to threefold higher than the lowest-cost hospitals for…
FDA: Vascular Solutions recalls Twin-Pass Dual Access Catheters
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on October 5 announced the recall by Vascular Solutions, Inc, (Minneapolis, Minnesota) of its Twin-Pass Dual Access Catheters used in catheterization procedures. The catheters have been recalled because of the potential for excess manufacturing material to remain at the tip of the catheter…
Study: 7-day vs 30-day readmissions as quality indicator
Editor's Note Variation in hospital readmissions is highest on the first day and declines rapidly in the first 7 days after discharge, which suggests that most readmissions after 7 days may be due to community and household factors beyond the hospitalโs control, this study finds. The analysis included hospital readmissions…