Staffing to a block duration can be inefficient. Uncontrolled variables such as increased case complexity and unexpected staff absences can cause chaos. Leaders from Penn Medicine—Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia used data analytics to measure the efficiency of matching staffing against an optimized OR schedule, which allowed them to predict staffing…
Strategies that can achieve the aims of excellence in clinical care, fewer complications, and reduced costs are sorely needed, and the comprehensive implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program can help achieve these aims in the surgical population. ERAS pathways have been found to reduce morbidity, hospital stay,…
Editor's Note An expert panel from the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons on July 15 issued guidelines that include recommendations for when hospitals and surgical centers can resume elective orthopedic procedures. A set of 30 recommendations are presented in four categories: General—includes criteria based on factors, such as…
Editor's Note This meta-analysis from the University of Bristol, UK, finds that overall COVID-19 intensive care mortality has fallen by a third since the start of the pandemic. Data from 24 studies, including 10,150 patients from centers in Asia, Europe, and North America, demonstrate an ICU mortality rate of 41.6%,…
Editor's Note The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on July 15 announced that in a move to improve information gathering and resource allocation, hospitals will begin sending their COVID-19 related data directly through HHS Protect or TeleTracking rather than submitting it the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention…
Editor's Note The American Hospital Association on June 30 released a report on the financial strain facing hospitals and health systems because of COVID-19, with total losses expected to be at least $323 billion in 2020. The total included $120.5 billion in financial losses that hospitals are predicted to see…
Editor's Note A new Avalere analysis estimates the cost of COVID-19 hospitalizations could range between $9.6 billion and nearly $17 billion this year, depending on infection and hospitalization trends, the June 23 Fierce Healthcare reports. The analysis considers the cost of hospitalizations in three scenarios: $9.6 billion, if there is…
As state authorities begin to ease restrictions imposed by COVID-19, physicians, nurse leaders, and administrators face a momentous challenge: resuming elective surgical procedures that have been postponed for several weeks or months. How will they accommodate the looming glut of elective surgery demand with limited infrastructure and staff who are…
Editor's Note More than 28 million elective surgical procedures worldwide will be cancelled or postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study estimates. Researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, collected data from surgeons in 359 hospitals and 71 countries. The data was then statistically modeled to estimate…
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on May 11 released a proposed rule that increases Medicare inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) rates by a net of 3.1% in FY 2021, compared to 2020, for acute care hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program that…