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Editor's Note Although human trafficking’s infiltration into healthcare labor and supply chains is pervasive, many clinicians and other professionals remain unaware of the extent of the issue, according to a February 3 opinion piece in MedPage Today. While efforts have focused on identifying trafficking victims in clinical settings, healthcare organizations…
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated Baxter Healthcare Corporation’s recall of the Life2000 ventilator system as a Class 1, the most severe category indicating serious risk of injury or death. According to the agency’s February 5 announcement, a failed operation during manufacturing compromised the operation…
Editor's Note Moody’s Ratings has shifted the health insurance industry’s credit outlook from stable to negative, according to a February 3 article in Fierce Healthcare. According to the article, the downgrade is due to escalating medical costs that outpace reimbursement rates. Analysts project an 8% rise in commercial market spending…
Editor's Note Treating unintended anesthesia errors as criminal acts could exacerbate workforce shortages, increase malpractice costs, and drive clinicians to defensive medicine, according to experts quoted in a January 15 report from Anesthesiology News. Instead, fostering a culture of safety and learning could more effectively reduce errors and improve patient…
Editor's Note The FDA has approved Journavx (suzetrigine), a first-in-class non-opioid analgesic, for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in adults. According to the agency’s January 30 announcement, the drug targets sodium channels in the peripheral nervous system to block pain signals before they reach the brain, representing…
Editor's Note A January 31 statement from the American Medical Association (AMA) announces the organization’s support for bipartisan legislation aiming to reverse steep Medicare reimbursement reductions threatening physician practices and patient care access. Introduced by a coalition of 10 House members, the "Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act" would…
Editor's Note As part of a larger initiative to ease access to care, insurance giant Cigna is tying compensation for senior leadership directly to customer satisfaction. Modern Healthcare reported the news February 3. The shift is part of a multi-pronged approach that also includes overhauling prior authorization requirements and limiting…
Editor's Note Bipartisan legislation seeks to combat nursing shortages by financially incentivizing experienced nurses to train the next generation of healthcare professionals, Becker’s Clinical Leadership reported January 31. The Precept Nurses Act, introduced by Rep. Jen Kiggans, would offer a $2,000 tax credit to nurses who become preceptors in health…
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated Class 1 Recalls—the most severe category indicating serious risk of injury or death—for multiple devices over the past few days, including pressure monitoring systems, emergency resuscitators, fluid delivery sets, extracorporeal blood circuits, endoscope accessories, infusion pumps, and glucose/Ketone meters. These…
Editor's Note Patients who engage in prehabilitation—exercise, diet changes, and social support—before surgery significantly reduce their risk of complications, shorten hospital stays, and improve recovery, according to a new evidence review in The BMJ. As reported January 24 by HealthDay, the analysis of 186 clinical trials involving more than 15,500…
