A lot has happened with ASC quality measure reporting in the last 2 years, especially this year, says Gina Throneberry, MBA, RN, CNOR, CASC, director, education and clinical affairs, Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA). Throneberry spoke at the ASCA annual conference in April. In the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid…

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The CDC’s healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevalence survey estimated that 110,800 surgical site infections (SSIs) were connected with inpatient procedures in 2015. As of 2020, Advancing Surgical Care reported that there are around 5,700 Medicare-certified ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) in the US. Of these, only 6 states require ASCs to use…

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Editor's Note The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eased its mask recommendations for nursing homes and hospitals not experiencing high levels of COVID-19 transmission, US News & World Report September 26 reports. The CDC made these changes to the updated guidelines published on Friday, September 23. Unlike…

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Editor's Note This study led by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, finds a 23.5% decrease in substance use disorder treatment admissions across the US during COVID-19. In 2020, the number of substance use disorders admissions decreased from 65.9 to 50.4 per 10,000. The decrease was larger for men (87.5…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 23 identified the recall by Philips Respironics of certain models of its BiPAP machines as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because certain machines may contain a plastic contaminated with a noncompatible material. If the plastic is…

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Editor's Note A protest from RNs at the University of Chicago Medical Center on September 15 was the latest outcry from the workforce to shed light on safety concerns rising from the chronic staffing shortage; more than 580 nurses have left UChicago Medical Center since September 2021, and the country’s…

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Editor's Note Strides have been made in cancer treatments, diagnostic tools and prevention strategies, driving down cancer death rates, according to a report published Wednesday, September 21, by the American Association for Cancer Research, NBC News September 21 reports. According to the group’s annual Cancer Progress Report, over the past…

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Editor's Note This Canadian study finds that most COVID-19 patients recover within 12 months, irrespective of severity. Researchers surveyed 106 patients recovering from COVID-19 at 3-, 6-, and 12 months. A total of 75% had recovered at the 12-month mark, but 25% still had at least one of three common…

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Editor's Note Houston Methodist, the first US health system to mandate vaccination of its employees in March 2021, is not requiring employees to receive new COVID-19 vaccines targeting Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, the September 21 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Though the system is strongly recommending that employees get the…

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Editor's Note This study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, finds that chronic, insufficient sleep can negatively affect immune cells, which may lead to inflammatory disorders and cardiovascular disease. Immune cells fight infection, but if the numbers get too high, they overreact and cause…

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