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 The Joint Commission announced on December 7 that it was recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference for its actions to decarbonize the healthcare sector and make healthcare facilities more resilient to climate change. The Joint Commission formally…

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Editor's Note This study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, finds that the use of a patient navigator to assist patients in overcoming barriers to telehealth access significantly improves visit attendance with a financial gain. A total of 4,066 patients had telehealth appointments scheduled. Those who had the navigator…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 8 identified the recall by Dewei Medical Equipment Co of its DNA/RNA Preservation Kits as Class I, the most serious. The kits are used to collect, preserve, and transport clinical samples that will be tested for viruses, including COVID-19. The…

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Editor's Note This prospective Danish study finds that transfer to a postanesthesia care unit (PACU) immediately after elective hip and knee arthroplasty might be unnecessary in low-risk patients. A total of 696 total knee (274), total hip (287), and unicompartmental knee (135) arthroplasty patients were analyzed. Of those, 307 bypassed…

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Editor's Note Ocean University Medical Center, Brick, New Jersey, is testing an in-room, live-video virtual nursing platform to ensure that patients receive the attention they need and help address a shortage of nurses, the December 6 NJ.com reports. The technology is being tested in a pilot program on the fourth…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researchers at Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, finds that passion for patient care dominates decisions by retirement-age nurses to continue working. The analysis included data from 49 nurses in eight focus groups. The nurses ranged in age from 54 to 75 years…

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Editor's Note The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), American Medical Association (AMA), and others, on December 6, launched the Rise to Health: A National Coalition for Equity in Healthcare, the December 6 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The coalition seeks to improve equity for staff as well as patients. An intervention…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers from Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, Minnesota, finds that clinician burnout and intent to leave increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but rose sharply in late 2021. In this survey study of 20,627 US clinicians (physicians, residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) in 120 large healthcare…

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Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in November to a seasonally adjusted 16,623,800 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on December 2. That’s up 44,700 since October. Hospital employment also was up by 11,000 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for November was 3.7%, for a…

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