Editor's Note This study by nurse researcher Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, finds that deliberate actions by management are needed to improve nurse staffing, clinician control over workloads, and work environments. A total of 5,312 physicians and 15,738 nurses at 60 nationally…

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Editor's Note This multi-center study led by Humana Inc, Louisville, Kentucky, finds that a bundled payment program offered by a Medicare Advantage insurer for lower extremity joint replacements was associated with reduced spending without changes in quality. A total of 23,034 lower extremity joint replacement surgical episodes (6,355 bundled, 16,679…

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Editor's Note Because of recent studies, the evolving nature of COVID-19, and widespread vaccination, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) on June 20 released a joint statement providing updated recommendations for the timing of elective surgery and anesthesia after COVID-19 infection. The recommendations include:…

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Takeaways Rural hospital purchases by larger health systems should improve access to surgical treatment in remote areas, but some acquisitions have resulted in decreased care quality and reduced access to services, as shown by recent examples. Despite challenges, rural hospital acquisitions can lead to expanded services, enhanced perioperative support, and…

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With healthcare costs continuing to rise, hospitals, payers, and patients are looking for different venues for care and ways to cut costs while maintaining quality and safety. As more surgical procedures are safely performed in outpatient settings, more ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are being built or restructured. Partnerships between hospitals…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, finds that generative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Chat-GPT 4 is a promising potential adjunct to human cognition in diagnosing complex cases. Evaluating 70 complex and challenging patient cases in the New England Journal of Medicine’s clinicopathologic conferences (CPC), the…

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Editor's Note A multidisciplinary cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) team at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, recently conducted a bedside surgery simulation of a resternotomy to develop a new protocol for the lifesaving procedure, according to the June 15 VUMC Reporter. When a cardiac surgical patient starts bleeding postoperatively…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, examines annual pediatric surgical site infection (SSI) rates among 287 US hospitals between 2015 and 2018. Overall, 27,433 surgical procedures were included in this study. The average annual SSI rates were highest for colon surgery…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) announced on June 14 that they had verified the first four hospitals as part of the recently launched Vascular Verification Program (Vascular-VP). To receive verification, these hospitals displayed a commitment to improving outcomes and delivering the…

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Editor's Note National Time Out Day on June 14 renews attention on the surgical team to prevent wrong-site surgery by pausing before a surgical procedure begins to make sure it is the right site, right procedure, and right person, a June 7 joint statement by The Joint Commission and AORN…

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