Editor's Note The ECRI Institute on October 7 released its annual safety report identifying the top 10 device hazards in hospitals, medical practices, and homecare for 2020. Topping the list was surgical stapler misuse and malfunction that can lead to patient harm. Third on the list is sterile processing errors…

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Editor's Note This study from researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found a consistent, strong association between geographic indicators for socioeconomic status and important surgical outcomes. Of 1,573,740 hospital discharges analyzed, adjusted odds of inpatient mortality significantly increased as geographic distress increased across all measures of geographic risk. The odds of…

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Editor's Note In this study of patients with left main coronary disease, there was no significant difference in outcomes at 5 years between treatment with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Researchers randomly assigned 1,905 patients with left main coronary artery disease of low or intermediate…

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Editor's Note Nurses have always played an important role when new health information technology (IT) has been implemented, and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the changes it can bring to healthcare will be no exception, reports the September 27 HealthcareITNews. Though some nurses may view AI as another…

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Editor's Note Social risk factors were inconsistently associated with surgical site infection (SSI) rates after colectomy or abdominal hysterectomy in this study. In this analysis of 149,741 patients, Medicaid status (a marker for poverty) and living in a low-income zip code were linked to higher SSI rates after colectomy. For…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 2 announced that it will be posting new survey readiness resource documents for its ambulatory, behavioral health, home care, nursing care center, and office-based surgery programs. These new Heads-Up Reports will be available October 4 on an organizations secure Joint Commission Connect extranet…

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Editor's Note In this study of patients with displaced femoral neck fractures, the incidence of secondary procedures did not differ significantly between patients who had total hip arthroplasty (THA) and those who had hemiarthroplasty. THA was associated with modestly better function over 2 years but with a slightly higher incidence…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced October 2 that it will be retiring the Leading Practice Library December 31, 2019. These customer-submitted resources that were developed in 2008 to assist organizations in complying with complex standards have become outdated. Newer and higher quality resources are available on the Joint Commission…

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Editor's Note Data from the Affordable Care Act’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) shows that Medicare cut payments to 2,583 hospitals on October 1 because of the number of patients readmitted within a month, the October 1 Kaiser Health News reports. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on September 26 released a final rule that revises discharge planning requirements for hospitals, the September 26 Becker’s Clinical Leadership & Infection Control reports. Among the requirements: Hospitals must prioritize patients’ care goals and treatment preferences during discharge planning. Hospitals…

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