Session: Navigating the Storm: Ensuring Operational Continuity Through Crisis Leadership
Editor's Note In an expansive session at the 2025 OR Business Management Conference, Tampa General Hospital's emergency management team demonstrated how proactive planning, strong partnerships, and real-time decision-making helped navigate multiple crises in 2024, including back-to-back hurricanes and a cyberattack on the state's blood supply. The session was presented by Erinn…
Medical device shortages present pediatric patient challenges, FDA warns
Editor's Note Although medical device shortages threaten all patients, a recent FDA announcement highlights particular risks for pediatric populations who require size-appropriate equipment. “From ventilators and neonatal breathing tubes to hemodialysis catheters, the scarcity of these critical devices poses a growing threat to patient care – especially for our youngest…
HIPAA security standard update sparks debate over cost, feasibility, patient safety
Editor's Note The first federal overhaul of the HIPAA Security Rule in over a decade aims to address modern cybersecurity threats but has drawn sharp criticism from health systems over its cost and feasibility, according to a January 13 article in Axios. According to the article, the proposed changes require…
Wildfire smoke poses long-term health threats
Editor's Note The wildfire smoke blanketing the Los Angeles region poses significant longer-term health and economic consequences, according to a January 10 article in Bloomberg. Already, the fires have displaced nearly 180,000 people and cost up to $20 million in insured losses, the outlet reports. What remains to be seen…
Hospitals continue to grapple with IV fluid shortage
Editor's Note US hospitals continue to face a shortage of intravenous (IV) fluids due to Hurricane-related damage to the Baxter manufacturing facility that was responsible for 60% of the nation’s supply, MedPage Today reported December 31. Citing a report from Baxter, the article notes that the manufacturer has restored eight…
House report criticizes COVID-19 pandemic response, calls for reform
Editor's Note A Republican-led House subcommittee investigating the COVID-19 pandemic released a 520-page final report summarizing its two-year inquiry, outlining recommendations for future pandemic preparedness and critiquing both US and global responses to the crisis. CNN reported the news December 2. The report concludes that COVID-19 most likely emerged from…
Study: COVID-19's impact on oncological surgery offers lessons for future crises
Editor's Note A scoping review of 15 studies reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted oncological abdominal surgery (OAS), leading to postponed or canceled procedures, adoption of alternative treatment plans, and increased psychological stress among surgical teams. Published November 5 in the American Journal of Surgery, the findings emphasize the…
Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert details environmental disaster preparation
Editor's Note To support healthcare organizations in implementing proactive risk management strategies, The Joint Commission has issued Sentinel Event Alert, “Environmental disasters: Preparing to safely evacuate or shelter in place.” As detailed in a November 13 press release, this alert outlines steps for healthcare organizations to consider as they prepare…
Session: Staff resilience during extended downtime
Editor's Note The story of how the perioperative team at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital responded to a recent cyber event revealed insights about resilience, communication, team-building, and preparedness in one of the concluding sessions of this week’s OR Manager Conference in Las Vegas. The session was presented…
Feds take action on Hurricane-wracked medical supply chain with wartime powers, drug compounding guidance
Editor's Note The Biden administration has invoked wartime powers to speed rebuilding of intravenous fluid (IV) manufacturing capacity, CBS News reported October 15, four days after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took steps to combat drug shortages. Both efforts are in response to devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene,…
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- AI boosts accuracy in surgical reports, outperforming surgeons
- AI models improve prediction of surgical complications using preoperative clinical notes
- Ambient AI healthcare documentation gains traction as capabilities expand
- Healthcare M&A faces tighter review as FTC retains guidelines
- Healthcare giants prioritize shareholder payouts over patient care
- Texas abortion ban linked to spike in pregnancy complications, maternal death
- AI streamlines documentation, frees time for nurses at Cedars-Sinai surgical unit
- Study identifies potential non-surgical treatment for inguinal hernias
- Rural hospital closures remain a growing concern despite slight financial improvement
- Session: Hoisting the Sails—Winning Strategies for Growing Service Lines in an ASC