Regulations/Legal
Healthcare employment up in July
Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in July to a seasonally adjusted 16,916,700 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on August 4. That’s up 63,000 since June. Hospital employment also was up by 16,100 jobs. The overall unemployment rate fell in July to 3.5%, for…
Study: Physician-owned hospitals have worse readmissions, other quality metrics
Editor's Note According to a study from health economics consulting firm Dobson | DaVanzo, submitted to the American Hospital Association (AHA) on August 1, physician-owned hospitals (POHs) "publicly report on fewer Medicare quality measures and perform worse on readmission penalties than full-service community hospitals" AHA August 3 reports. "The study…
The Joint Commission updates Health Care Equity resource centers
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on August 2, announced that it had updated its Health Care Equity (HCE) Accreditation Standards & Resource Center and its HCE Certification Resource Center. A new resource available in the HCE Accreditation Standards & Resource Center is an On Demand Accelerate PI Webinar that provides…
FDA: Class I recall of Baxter SIGMA Spectrum, Spectrum IQ infusion pumps
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on August 1, identified the recall by Baxter Healthcare Corporation of its SIGMA Spectrum Infusion Pump with Master Drug Library (Version 8) and Spectrum IQ Infusion System with Dose IQ Safety Software (Version 9) as Class I, the most serious. The recall…
Update of strategies to prevent MRSA transmission, infection in acute care hospitals
Editor's Note This expert guidance document, sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), updates the “Strategies to Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA] Transmission and Infection in Acute Care Hospitals” that were published in 2014. Among the updates: Recommendations are now categorized as Essential Practices that should be…
FDA: Class I recall of GE HealthCare’s TruSignal SpO2 sensors
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on July 28, identified the recall by GE HealthCare of its TruSignal SpO2 [arterial oxygen saturation] sensors as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of issues that may reduce the amount of energy sent to the heart during…
FDA: Class I recall of Abiomed Impella Left Sided Blood Pumps
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on July 27, identified the recall by Abiomed of all Impella Left Sided Blood Pumps as Class I, the most serious. Abiomed is recalling the pumps because the instructions for use do not adequately address precautions to take when treating transcatheter aortic…
FDA: Class I recall of Abbott Amplatzer Steerable Delivery Sheath
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on July 26, identified the recall by Abbott of its Amplatzer Steerable Delivery Sheath as Class I, the most serious. Abbott is recalling the sheath because of an increased risk for air emboli being introduced into patients who have cardiac catheterization procedures…
ACS: 19 surgical organizations oppose CMS code G2211
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) announced, on July 26, that it and 18 other surgical organizations sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), strongly opposing implementation of its code G2211. The G2211 code is an effort by CMS to pay more for…
Pandemic experiences of infections preventionists resulted in moral distress
Editor's Note This study, led by nurse researchers at the College of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, explores the experiences of infection preventionists (IPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses from 61 IPs surveyed were included in the analysis. Among the findings: The initial phases of COVID-19 was a time of clinical…
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