Editor's Note:  In a sophisticated new scheme, hackers are stealing the identity of hospital employees in financial roles—such as revenue cycle employees—and then reaching out to the hospitals’ IT help desk in order to reset passwords, receive access codes, and redirect funds.  The American Hospital Association (AHA) sent out an…

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Editor's Note: A recent study suggests artificial intelligence (AI) can be valuable for identifying patients who consumed risky amounts of of alcohol prior to surgery. Findings appeared in the journal Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research on January 8. For the study, researchers extracted 3 years of text-based clinical records from…

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Editor's Note The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced a new initiative to ensure public access to emergency healthcare and assist hospitals in fulfilling obligations under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), a CMS January…

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Editor's Note: A point-of-care, antimicrobial coating for orthopedic implants could soon make implant-associated infections a problem of the past, UCLA Health reported on January 3. Developed by two UCLA surgeons, the coating is designed to kill or slow the spread of micro-organisms in order to prevent post-surgical infections. According to…

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Editor's Note:  Lack of quality vacation time explains part of the reason why so many physicians are experiencing burnout, according to a study published January 12 in Jama Network Open. Specifically, the study found that 7 out of 10 participating US physicians did at least some work on a typical…

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Editor's Note: Rural communities are at serious risk due to hospitals’ increasing inability to offer labor and delivery services, according to a new report from the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. Highlights include: More than half (55%) of rural hospitals in the U.S. do not offer labor and…

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Editor's Note: Equinoxe Shoulder System joint replacement devices manufactured by Exactech between 2004 and 2021 are at risk of premature wearing or failure due to defective packaging, according to a January 16 safety alert from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The bags used to package the devices were…

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Immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS, a standard steam sterilization cycle with little to no dry time) is considered safe for patient care when the processes recommended in Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standards and AORN guidelines are followed. IUSS is a valuable option in an emergency. Lack…

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Nursing is not a career path for the faint of heart. However, working in places wracked by civil strife and natural catastrophes can strain the composure of the most elite in any specialty. If the OR tent lifting away in strong post-hurricane winds stateside is not bad enough, imagine having…

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Editor's Note:  Adherence to routine disinfection procedures may not be enough to prevent potentially harmful bacterial contamination of high-touch hospital surfaces, according to findings published January 10 in the American Journal of Infection Control. Manikins, bed rails, and workstations-on-wheels were the most contaminated surfaces. The study involved sampling and culturing…

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