Takeaways • OR nurse leaders are becoming a force in healthcare legislation. • Legislators value nursing expertise and want to collaborate with nurses on healthcare legislation. • It is easier than expected to get involved with legislation to improve patient safety, support staff, and optimize the workplace. Tracy Hoeft-Hoffman, MSN,…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds that the introduction and removal of Michigan’s executive order curtailing elective surgery during COVID-19 lagged behind the ramp-down and ramp-up of elective surgery volume. Hospitals had already achieved a 91.7% reduction in case volume before the executive order…

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Editor's Note A federal judge in Louisiana declined a case brought by 14 states that challenged the Biden administration’s mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccination for eligible staff at healthcare facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid Programs, the December 8 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The states have 60 days to appeal the…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, finds that in the COVID-19 pandemic’s early phases, most deaths were in older people, but in 2021, deaths in younger people increased while deaths in older people decreased. The researchers, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data,…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration, on November 23, identified the recall by Baxter Hillrom of its WatchCare Incontinence Management System (IMS) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk for radiofrequency (RF) emissions from WatchCare devices that may interfere with other devices,…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 10 issued a report outlining its plans, “for the first time,” to improve the transparency, accountability, and completeness of health equity data across its programs. “CMS defines health equity data as the combination of quantitative and qualitative elements…

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Editor's Note The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) on October 12 announced that it has created a new Policy Honors Program for nursing students to gain experience and foundational skills in policy analysis and advocacy. The two-semester program will include discussion-based seminars, faculty mentoring sessions, a policy project, and…

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Editor's Note Burnout in the healthcare workforce is a significant challenge hospitals and healthcare systems face, and a September 27 webinar hosted by US News and World Report tackled the many efforts hospital leaders are undertaking to address it. Among the various reasons cited as contributing to the problem—including rising…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, finds that between December 2019 and December 2021, nearly one-third of large, tax exempt hospitals improved their charity care policies. Across the 2-year period, 127 of 151 (84.15) hospitals updated their policies, and 77 (51.0%)…

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Editor's Note The American College Surgeons (ACS) on September 28 announced that the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 2260 that requires the installation of trauma bleeding control kits in newly constructed public and private buildings throughout the state. After the legislation was passed, the ACS State Affairs team worked…

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