Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 9 updated the Class I recall by Woodside Acquisitions Inc of its Oral Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test Kits and Joysbio SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test Kits (Colloidal Gold) that are not authorized, cleared, or approved by the FDA. The FDA…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 10 announced that it will no longer require international travelers to have a negative COVID-19 test before flying to the US, effective June 12. The CDC continues to recommend that travelers flying to the US get tested as…

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Editor's Note US Representatives Madeleine Dean (D-Pa) and Larry Bucshon, MD, (R-Ind) on June 7 introduced a Bill to protect healthcare workers (HCWs) from violence that is modeled after protections for airline workers, the June 8 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act would criminalize…

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Editor's Note On May 9, Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia signed into law SB573, which requires the evacuation of smoke during plume-producing surgical procedures. The law states: “Each hospital and ambulatory surgical center shall adopt policies for the reduction of human exposure to surgical smoke.” Brenda Ulmer, MN, RN, CNOR,…

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Editor's Note This study, led by researchers from the University of Rochester (NY) School of Medicine, finds that the early response to the COVID-19 pandemic did not increase disparities in access to major surgical procedures. Of 3,470,905 adults hospitalized for major surgical procedures at 719 facilities between January 1, 2018,…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS), on May 19, announced that it strongly supports legislation that creates a grant program to provide training on bleeding control techniques and anti-blood loss supplies for use in medical emergencies. The “Prevent Blood Loss with Emergency Equipment Devices Act (Prevent Bleeding Act),”…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 5 announced that it has limited the authorized use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine to those 18 years of age and older for whom other COVID-19 vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate and to those who would…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on April 18, released the FY 2023 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. The rule would increase payment rates by a net 3.2% for acute care hospitals that participate in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program and…

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Editor's Note As of March 31, there have been 82 attacks on healthcare workers and facilities in Ukraine that have resulted in 72 deaths and 43 injuries, and most attacks involved the use of heavy weapons against healthcare facilities, personnel, patients, and medical supplies, according to this JAMA Viewpoint article,…

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Editor's Note In January, 5,757 workers lost their employment because they refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as ordered by a federal mandate and various local mandates covering private businesses. Out of those workers, 4,934 were healthcare providers, the February 4 Becker’s Hospital Review reports from data gathered by executive…

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