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.…
Johns Hopkins robot performs first laparoscopic intestinal anastomosis without human help
Editor's Note The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), designed by a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University, has performed laparoscopic intestinal anastomoses in four experiments on pig tissue without human help. The robot outperformed surgeons using manual-laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgical techniques in the consistency of suture spacing and bite…
Cardiovascular considerations before elective noncardiac surgery in COVID-19 patients
Editor's Note In this viewpoint, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine, note that it is unclear whether cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19 persist beyond the acute phase of illness and whether a history of COVID-19 warrants any additional preoperative cardiac assessments before having elective surgery. They review the literature…
The Joint Commission revises Environment of Care Chapter
The Joint Commission revises Environment of Care Chapter The Joint Commission on January 26 announced that it has approved several revisions to Elements of Performance (EP) in the Environment of Care (EC) chapter, which will vary across accreditation programs. Among the revisions: Standard EC.02.04.01, EP 11, which addresses reporting incidents…
Providing preoperative virtual education to providers, patients
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons projects that total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) procedures will increase to 635,000 and 1.28 million, respectively, by 2030. That leads to a tremendous amount of Episode of Care opportunities. How can we as clinicians ensure the best possible experience for…
Risk of postop complications in COVID-19 patients after major elective surgery
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that major elective surgery performed 0 to 4 weeks after COVID-19 infection is linked to an increased risk of postoperative complications. Of 5,479 patients analyzed, those who had surgery 0 to 4…
Mastering surveys by The Joint Commission, CMS during COVID-19 pandemic
The 2021 OR Manager Conference in Chicago saw John R. Rosing, MHA, FACHE, executive vice president and principal of Patton Healthcare Consulting, Naperville, Illinois, give his annual update on mastering Joint Commission standards and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) regulations. The past 2 years of COVID-19 restrictions have delayed…
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…
Impact of nail brush, duration of surgical hand scrub on bacterial count
Editor's Note This study led by nurse researchers at the University of Health Sciences, Gulhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey finds that nail brushes used during surgical hand scrubs are not necessary, and there is no difference between the effects of 1-minute and 2-minute scrubs on bacterial counts. The…
New value-based models allow for surgeon buy-in, cost savings
The growth of value-based healthcare models is changing the way physicians and hospitals provide care. In value-based models, providers are paid based on patient outcomes. The “value” is derived from measuring health outcomes against the cost of delivering the outcomes. This balancing act has now become more achievable with new…
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- United Surgical Partners agrees to $1.48M settlement in 401(k) fee lawsuit
- Healthcare M&A activity set to rebound in 2025 amid stricter state oversight
- High participation in ASCQR program continues, March deadline for reconsideration requests
- Study: Preoperative stereotactic radiosurgery shows promise in brain metastases management
- Senate report: Private equity endangers patient care in underserved hospitals
- Study: Postoperative thirst often overlooked by OR, ward nurses
- FDA draft guidance addresses pulse oximeter accuracy, AI devices
- AAMI updates sterilization materials compatibility guidance
- Study: Esophagectomy outcomes worse at private equity hospitals
- Study: Black CABG patients disadvantaged in accessing best hospitals