Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced significant updates taking effect immediately to the eligibility requirements for its cardiac and stroke certifications, developed in collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association (ASA). According to the April 2 announcement,  key revisions involve the removal of percutaneous coronary…

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Editor's Note Cybercriminals breached a legacy server at Oracle Health, stealing patient data from multiple hospitals and health systems, according to a March 31 article in Healthcare Executive. The breach, discovered around February 20, occurred before Oracle migrated the affected server from Cerner's system to Oracle Cloud. According to the…

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Editor's Note Aortic root cannulas from Medtronic are the subject of the latest US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) class 1 recall, the most serious category reserved for risk of injury or death. Affected products include the DLP Aortic Root Cannula, MiAR Cannula, and DLP Aortic Root Cannula with Vent…

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Editor's Note Although a recent executive order from President Donald Trump aims to make hospitals and insurers reveal negotiated prices, data inconsistencies and a lack of consumer usability continue to hinder progress, according to a March 31 article from NPR. As detailed in the report, the executive order builds on…

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Editor's Note Preoperative mental health assessment significantly increases the odds of a postoperative “textbook outcome” for older patients, according to research published on March 15 in the journal Surgery. The median age for the patient population analyzed at the time of surgery was 74 years. Focusing on more than 32,500…

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Editor's Note Ten hospitals have reportedly closed 3 months into the year, with five shuttering in February alone—a stark escalation compared to the 25 closures reported in 2024 and 14 in 2023, Becker’s Hospital Review March 21 reports. This troubling trend raises questions about the mounting difficulties hospitals face, from…

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Editor's Note Various digital health companies are racing to introduce a new wave of artificial intelligence (AI) tools—often called AI agents—designed to handle labor-intensive tasks in healthcare with unprecedented speed. These specialized tools aim to manage everything from verifying insurance benefits and clarifying pre-procedure details for patients to aiding in…

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Editor's Note The bipartisan Medical Supply Chain Resiliency Act would grant the president expanded authority to negotiate trade deals and modify tariffs on medical goods, according to a March 14 report from Fierce Healthcare. The bill, backed by pharmaceutical and healthcare industry groups, aims to strengthen the US medical supply…

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Editor's Note Legislation introduced in the US House of Representatives seeks to expand access to anesthesia care for veterans by granting Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) full practice authority within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The Ensuring Veterans Timely Access to Anesthesia Care Act of 2025 is sponsored by Representatives…

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Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has deemed Smiths Medical’s recall of Proport Plastic Implantable Ports a Class 1, the most severe designation indicating serious risk of injury or death. The devices are designed for repeated venous access for injections, infusions, and/or blood samples. According to the…

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