Editor's Note In this study, the composition of the anesthesia care team (anesthesiologist plus nurse anesthetist or anesthesiologist assistant) was not associated with any significant differences in mortality, length of stay, or inpatient spending. Of 443,098 Medicare beneficiaries who had inpatient surgery between 2004 and 2011, the adjusted mortality for…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 3 announced that key updates are now available for its 2019 ORYX performance measurement program reporting requirements. The Joint Commission continues to align its performance measure reporting requirements with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which published its 2019 Inpatient Prospective Payment…

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Editor's Note In this multicenter, randomized controlled trial from the Netherlands, physical therapy was noninferior to early arthroscopic partial menisectomy for improving knee function in patients with nonobstructive meniscal tears. In this analysis of 321 (159 surgery, 162 physical therapy) patients, knee function improved by 20.4 points in the physical…

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Editor's Note The Women’s Choice Award announced on October 1 the Best Children’s Hospitals for 2019. The select group were chosen from nearly 60 Children’s Hospitals in the nation and represent those that have met the highest standards for childcare. Award winners include: Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha Connecticut…

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Editor's Note Accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other value-based payment (VBP) models are increasing in the US, and there is no longer any question of whether private payers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will continue to support value-based payments, according to the August 14 Health Affairs…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 28 issued a notice proposing not to include three bulk FDA-approved drug substances−bumetanide, nicardipine hydrochloride, and vasopressin−on the list that outsourcing facilities may use in compounding drug products. The FDA is seeking public comment before finalizing their decision. Comments must…

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Editor's Note In this position paper, three global surgery groups advocate for global surgeons based in US academic healthcare centers. Though 30% of all diseases globally require surgical care and expertise, global surgeons based in academic healthcare centers often face institutional barriers that make it difficult to take time to…

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Editor's Note The US News & World Report on August 14 released its 2018-2019 Best Hospitals rankings, which compared more than 4,500 hospitals and medical centers across 25 specialties. For the third consecutive year, the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota campus) topped the Best Hospitals Honor Roll, followed by the Cleveland…

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Editor's Note A new study by consultancy firm Navigant found that academic medical centers are trailing community hospitals across cost and quality measures. Among the findings: Cost per case was 5.8% higher at medical centers, equating to $3.1 million added annual operating expense per center. Cost per case disparity between high…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on August 8 recognized four healthcare organizations as 2018 Pioneers in Quality Expert Contributors for their efforts to advance the evolution and utilization of electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs). The organizations are: BJC Healthcare, St Louis MedStar St Mary’s Hospital, Leonardtown, Maryland Texas Health Resources,…

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