CMS cuts payments to 764 hospitals with high rates of HACs
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 26 announced that 764 hospitals will face payment cuts in FY 2022 under its Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program, the January 31 Advisory Board reports. Hawaii and Idaho were the only states whose hospitals did not receive penalties.…
Association of COVID-19 with hospital readmissions
Editor's Note This study by researchers from New York University School of Medicine finds several factors associated with increased odds of readmission of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In this retrospective cohort analysis of 6,191 adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a New York safety-net hospital system between March 1 and…
The three vaccine mandate deadlines US hospitals need to know
Editor's Note On January 19, a federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas opposing the federal vaccine mandate. This came just days after the Supreme Court also ruled to uphold the mandate “to promote and protect patient health and safety.” On January 20, CMS issued updated…
The Joint Commission to begin surveying for HCW vaccinations
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on January 19 that beginning January 27, 2022, for applicable deemed program surveys in progress on that day, it will begin surveying to the “Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination” interim final rule published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). As…
Trends in ambulatory care during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study, led by researchers at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, finds that the use of ambulatory care services between March 2020 and February 2021 increased after an initial decrease with the onset of COVID-19. However, the rate of increase was significantly lower for Medicaid and/or Medicare…
Supreme Court blocks federal government’s vaccine mandate for large workplaces but not for healthcare facilities
Editor's Note The Supreme Court on January 13 blocked the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine-or-test requirement for workplaces with 100 or more employees, but the Court is allowing a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers at facilities that receive Medicaid and Medicare funds. The order covers more than 17 million healthcare workers…
Appeals court upholds halt on COVID-19 vaccine mandate for HCWs
Editor's Note The US Court of appeals for the 8th Circuit, on December 13, affirmed a lower court’s decision to halt the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for healthcare workers (HCWs) at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs, the December 14 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The court turned down the Biden…
Emergency departments affect postop readmission rates
Editor's Note This study by researchers at Indiana University and the University of Michigan finds that emergency departments (EDs) are a significant factor in preventing readmissions after major surgery. Researchers analyzed the electronic health records of nearly 2 million Medicare beneficiaries who had one of five surgical procedures (ie, percutaneous…
County-level social vulnerability linked to worse postop outcomes, especially in minority patients
Editor's Note This study from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio, finds that patients residing in vulnerable communities characterized by a high social vulnerability index (SVI) had worse postoperative outcomes, and the impact was most pronounced in Black/minority patients. In this analysis…
Federal judge blocks COVID-19 vaccine mandate for HCWs nationwide
Editor's Note A Louisiana federal judge, on November 30, blocked the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers (HCWs) at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid nationwide, the November 30 Axios reports. In his ruling, the judge says the executive branch does not have the authority to bypass Congress in enforcing…
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