Editor's Note Pulse oximeters may overestimate blood oxygen levels in critically ill patients with darker skin tones, according to a March 30 article in HCP Live. The article focuses on the EquiOx study, conducted at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital between 2022 and 2024. Presented at the American College…
Editor's Note Reducing the negative influence of implicit bias requires system-level interventions to ensure procedures align with best practices for all patients, according to results of new research on outcomes for vascular surgery patients. Published February 26 in JAMA Surgery, the study showed that implicit racial bias among vascular specialists…
Editor’s Note Pregnancy complications—including life-threatening sepsis—surged in Texas after the state banned abortion in 2021, according to a ProPublica analysis of seven years’ worth of state hospital data. In a February 20 report, the outlet details how sepsis rates for women hospitalized after second-trimester pregnancy loss rose by more than…
Editor's Note While fewer rural hospitals are operating at a loss than last year, more are now at risk of closure, according to a new report from Chartis. Fierce Healthcare reported the news February 13. As detailed in the article, the analysis found that 46% of rural hospitals are operating…
Editor's Note Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) generate the highest overall financial returns for US hospitals, despite not being the most profitable per procedure, according to a February 13 report in Cardiovascular Business. The article covers an analysis of Medicare data, published in…
Editor's Note Ongoing hospital closures are driving up travel times and out-of-pocket costs for rural Americans who need surgery, according to a February 12 report in HealthDay. Citing two recent studies published in Annals of Surgery and JAMA, respectively, the article details how rural hospital closures have forced more patients…
Editor's Note Healthgrades has announced its 2025 America's Best Hospitals Awards, recognizing the top 50, 100, and 250 hospitals in the U.S. for overall clinical performance. According to a January 28 announcement, the rankings are based on an analysis of approximately 4,500 hospitals, evaluating outcomes for more than 30 common…
Editor's Note A January 31 statement from the American Medical Association (AMA) announces the organization’s support for bipartisan legislation aiming to reverse steep Medicare reimbursement reductions threatening physician practices and patient care access. Introduced by a coalition of 10 House members, the "Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act" would…
Editor's Note Despite a rise in discussions about bariatric surgery, a retrospective study spanning two decades revealed persistent racial and gender disparities in which patients undergo the procedure. MedPage Today reported the news January 16. The analysis, involving 122,487 patients, showed that only 9.1% with class II obesity or higher…
Editor's Note Nurse staffing rates in hospitals serving a high percentage of Black patients are worse than in hospitals serving fewer Black patients, a disparity that has significant implications for patient outcomes, according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Published in the journal Nursing Research…