Editor's Note A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by employees of Houston Methodist who challenged the health system’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate, the June 13 New York Times reports. US District Judge Lynn N. Hughes issued a ruling June 12 that upheld the hospital’s policy and noted that the…

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Editor's Note Houston Methodist has suspended 178 healthcare workers (HCWs) for not following a hospital policy that requires employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the June 7 New York Times reports. After warning employees last month that they had to be vaccinated by June 7 or face suspension, 117 HCWs…

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First assistants (FAs) can play an important role in achieving optimal outcomes and higher surgical case volumes. Part 1 of this two-part series discussed types, education, and certification of FAs (OR Manager, May 2021, pp 1, 15-18). Part 2 answers questions related to risk management and oversight, and discusses possible…

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Editor's Note AORN announced on March 24 that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear had signed into law new legislation that will require licensed hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to adopt and implement policies to prevent human exposure to surgical smoke. AORN’s government affairs team and Kentucky AORN members worked closely with…

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Editor's Note A state’s stay-at-home orders (SAHOs) were associated with reductions in COVID-19 cases and fatality rates between March and May 2020, and a state’s number of African Americans was associated with more COVID-19 cases and fatalities in this study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Of 3,023 pooled…

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Editor's Note In consultation with clinical experts and in response to government guidance that hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) postpone elective surgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) released a statement March 18 on how and when facilities should proceed with cases that should…

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Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on March 9 released two interoperability rules, which will give patients direct access to their healthcare data. These rules mark the most extensive healthcare data sharing policies the federal government has implemented, requiring public and private entities to share…

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Editor's Note In a March 4 press release, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) called on all healthcare providers to make sure they are implementing infection control practices, which they are required to maintain at all times, in an effort to limit the spread of the Novel Coronavirus…

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Editor's Note The US House of Representatives on December 17 passed a year-end spending bill that repeals several Affordable Care Act (ACA) taxes, including the 40% tax on generous health insurance plans and the 2.3% tax on the sale of medical devices, the December 17 Reuters reports. The bill also…

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As part of a special series on artificial intelligence (AI), OR Manager is taking a deep dive into the many facets of this new technology and its impact on patient care. In this issue we continue our examination of the challenges related to AI, which began in last month’s issue…

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