Editor's Note More than 300,000 healthcare positions within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have been exempted from a federal hiring freeze ordered by President Donald Trump on January 20, ensuring continuity in care for veterans. Military.com reported the news January 23. According to the article, acting VA Secretary Todd…

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Editor's Note In a January 9 episode of the Advancing Surgical Care Podcast, ASCA President Mark Wainner engaged Alfonso del Granado, MBA, FACHE, CASC, an ASCA Board member and administrator of Covenant High Plains Surgery Center in Lubbock, Texas, in a discussion focusing on the pressing issue of anesthesia provider…

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Editor's Note New and revised workplace violence prevention requirements take effect for The Joint Commission-accredited, office-based surgery practices July 1, The Joint Commission announced.  According to the January 16 announcement, which also announced new and revised standards for accredited assisted living communities and nursing care centers, the updates aim to…

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Editor's Note Researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden have developed artificial intelligence (AI) models that outperform human experts in detecting ovarian cancer using ultrasound images. As reported January 7 in DotMed, the AI was trained on over 17,000 images from 3,652 patients across 20 hospitals in eight countries, achieving an…

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Editor's Note Although the role of artificial intelligence is still evolving, early applications show significant potential to address challenges with burnout, staffing shortages, and high patient-to-nurse ratios, according to a January 10 article in Medscape. Offering a broad overview of the state of AI in nursing, complete with expert testimony…

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Editor's Note Thousands of RNs nationwide plan to rally in support of safer staff and patients today, January 16, amid widespread introduction of technologies driven by artificial intelligence (AI), according to National Nurses United (NNU). NNU reported on the plans January 14, noting that more than 100,000 members of the…

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Editor's Note For the first time in over a decade, the OR Business Management Conference will feature a dedicated track tailored exclusively to ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders. This highly anticipated event, scheduled for February 10-12, 2025, at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Florida, is designed to address the unique…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 46,000 from December to January, according to a January 10 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That is compared to an overall monthly gain of 256,000 in December. Hospital employment rose by 12,000, according to the data, which also…

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Editor's Note Patients fared worse in the wake of private equity acquisitions of US hospitals, according to research published January 9 in JAMA Network.  Over a decade-long analysis of 73 acquired hospitals and 293 matched controls, declines became more pronounced in the years following acquisition, researchers wrote. Key findings include:…

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Editor's Note The 2023-2024 State of Well-Being Report shows a modest improvement in healthcare worker burnout, with 50% reporting feeling burned out in 2023, down from 54% in 2022. HealthLeaders Media reported on the results January 2. According to the article, The Mayo Clinic’s Well-Being Index compiled 79,022 assessments to…

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