The Joint Commission: Aisle widths must have at least 36 inches of clearance
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced April 21 that, effectively immediately, Life Safety Code surveyors will cite noncompliance in suites with aisles that have less than 36 inches of clearance from side to side to facilitate egress in hospitals and critical access hospitals. The finding will be scored at Life…
Public perspectives on who should be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccine
Editor's Note In this study from the University of Denver and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, respondents to two surveys agreed with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s prioritization framework for COVID-19 vaccination. Of 4,735 respondents (2,730 to a Gallup survey and 2,005 to a COVID Collaborative survey):…
Effects of mask mandates, opening restaurants on COVID-19 cases, mortality
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on March 5 released a study showing mask mandates were responsible for a decrease in COVID-19 case growth rates by 0.5% after 20 days and by 1.8% after 100 days. Mask mandates also were associated with a 0.7% decrease in…
Parsing COVID-19 transmission routes informs levels of protection needed
Information about COVID-19 transmission and treatment has evolved between the time this infectious disease first emerged and now. As evidence-based knowledge grows and protocols change, and as populations are vaccinated to develop herd immunity, there is increasing optimism about the ability to combat the virus. Meanwhile, it is important to…
CDC expands requirement for negative COVID-19 test to all airline passengers entering US
Editor's Note Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert R. Redfield, MD, on January 12, signed an order to expand the requirement for a negative COVID-19 test to all airline passengers entering the US. The order, which will become effective January 26, requires that: Airline passengers get a…
CMS releases final PFS for 2021, surgeons say rule jeopardizes care
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on December 1 released its 2021 final rule for the Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS), which expands telehealth services and increases payments for primary care and chronic disease management. The rule also reduces payments for surgeons, emergency physicians, and other…
CMS threatens to withhold payments from hospitals not reporting COVID-19, flu data
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 6 released guidance on how it will implement an interim final rule that requires hospitals and critical access hospitals to report data on COVID-19 and flu patients. CMS says failure to report specified data may lead to termination…
Joint Commission seeks comments on new requirements for office-based surgery
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 23 announced that it is seeking comments on newly developed medication order requirements for the Office-Based Surgery (OBS) Accreditation Program. The proposed requirements align with clinical guidelines to prevent medication errors. Comments will be accepted through October 26, 2020.
Joint Commission to provide lab accreditation for VA
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced September 16 that it has been selected to provide Laboratory Accreditation Program services for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These services will be provided at VA Medical Centers and community-based outpatient clinics. Laboratories are accredited every 2 years by the Joint Commission.
CMS issues final inpatient payment rule for FY 2021
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on September 2 issued its final inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) rule, which will: increase IPPS rates by 2.9% in FY 2021 for hospitals that report quality data and are meaningful users of electronic health records, resulting in an increase…
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