CDC proposed rule amends regulations for quarantinable, communicable diseases
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on August 15 published a proposed rule on Control of Communicable Diseases. The proposal amends the CDC’s domestic and foreign quarantine regulations to help respond to outbreaks of new or reemerging communicable diseases, such as Ebola, Middle Ease Respiratory Syndrome…
Hospital readmission penalties reach new high
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s (CMS) hospital readmission penalties will hit a new high over the next year as the government agency withholds more than half a million dollars in payments, the August 2 Kaiser Health News reports. CMS will punish more than half of US hospitals…
CMS issues corrections to new fire safety requirements for hospital outpatient surgical departments
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 30 published a correction to its recently updated fire safety requirements for hospitals. The correction says that hospital outpatient surgical departments must meet Life Safety Code provisions "applicable to Ambulatory Health Care Occupancies, regardless of the number of…
New screening recommendations for colorectal cancer
Editor's Note The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has updated the 2008 recommendations for colorectal cancer screening. The USPSTF recommends screening for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 and continuing until age 75 (A recommendation). The decision to screen adults 76 to 85 years should be an individual one,…
Benefits, burden, and harm of colorectal cancer screening strategies
Editor's Note In this modeling study of previously unscreened 40-years olds undergoing colorectal cancer screening, the following screening strategies from ages 50 to 75 years were estimated to provide similar life years gained and a comparable balance of benefit and screening burden: colonoscopy every 10 years annual fecal immunochemical testing…
CMS, Joint Commission adopt 2012 NFPA 101 Life Safety Code
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Joint Commission on July 5 will begin using the 2012 version of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 Life Safety Code in their accreditation surveys. The final CMS rule requires hospitals to follow the 2012 version of the…
CMS proposes two rules to simplify physician documentation requirements
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 27 proposed two rules, scheduled to take effect in January 2017, that will ease physician documentation requirements. One rule makes changes to the “Meaningful Use” program. CMS is proposing to replace meaningful use with a new program that…
Olympus to pay $623.2 million to settle kickback allegations
Editor's Note Olympus Corporation (Center Valley, Pennsylvania) has agreed to pay $623.2 million to resolve civil and criminal allegations that it paid kickbacks to hospitals and physicians in exchange for purchasing its endoscopes and equipment, the March 1 Modern Healthcare reports. The government alleged that Olympus lacked training and didn’t…
HHS releases guidance on when HIPAA applies to mobile apps
Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released guidelines on how the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) applies to health information a patient creates or manages through a health app and when app developers are required to comply with HIPPA rules. The new…
Longer resident duty hours don’t affect patient safety
Editor's Note The flexibility for surgical residents to work longer shifts than currently allowed or take less time off between shifts to provide continuity of care was not associated with a greater risk of postoperative patient complications or death, a new study finds. There was also no significant difference in…
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