Perioperative services leaders have their hands full with a range of pressing issues, from the return of elective case cancellations to new struggles with staff turnover. However, an even bigger problem is flying under the radar for many hospitals—impending changes in the market for anesthesiology services. Several factors are coming…

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Consistency is the word that comes to mind when reviewing results from the 2021 OR Manager Salary/Career Survey. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) reported that salary, satisfaction, and the number of employees supervised were comparable to metrics reported in 2020. The good news is that…

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Editor's Note In this study, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers report on the comparative effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against hospitalization of US adults without immunocompromised conditions. Included in the case-control analysis were 3,689 adults aged 18 years and older who were hospitalized at 21 US hospitals between…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on September 17 voted that there was not enough safety and effectiveness data to approve a third Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose for those 16 years and older. The committee did vote to recommend approval of…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, finds that although COVID-19’s effect on access to liver transplantation has been all-pervasive, minorities have been disproportionately affected—especially those with public insurance. During the initial wave of COVID-19, organ transplantation was classified as a…

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Editor's Note In this study from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, researchers find that Medically Necessary, Time-Sensitive (MeNTS) scores used for elective surgical prioritization during the COVID-19 pandemic have low discriminating power in distinguishing patients with moderate or severe postoperative complications. In this analysis, 223 patients were classified according to:…

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Editor's Note This study led by nurse researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York City, finds a high level of COVID-19 pandemic impact on nurses’ intent to leave their current positions and the nursing profession. Among 5,000 nurses surveyed, pandemic impact was rated high overall and was highest in…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research and the Brooke Army Medical Center JBSA Fort Sam Houston, Texas, finds that a Texas state-level mask mandate issued July 3, 2020, followed by a Bexar County-level mandate issued July 15, 2020, did not reduce…

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Editor's Note Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare is postponing all nonemergency surgical procedures in its 13 hospitals, effective September 15, the September 10 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The action is being taken because of a COVID-19 surge fueled by the Delta variant. In a news release, the health system said…

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Editor's Note This study led by nurse researcher Linda H. Aiken, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, finds that having more nurse practitioners (NPs) in hospitals has favorable effects on patients, staff, and efficiency—adding value to labor resources. Data on 579 hospitals gleaned from nurse, patient,…

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