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Editor's Note A Senate report reveals that Medicare Advantage insurers are increasingly prioritizing profits over patient care by ramping up the use of prior authorization to deny necessary services, particularly post-acute care, for older adults, Becker’s Hospital Review reported October 17. In May 2023, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations…
Editor's Note Iranian cyber actors employing techniques such as brute force, password spraying, and multifactor authentication (MFA) "push bombing" to compromise healthcare and other critical infrastructure sectors, the American Hospital Association (AHA) reported October 17. The report cites an October 16 joint advisory issued on October 16 by the FBI,…
Editor's Note A newly constructed surgical “megafloor” that connects inpatient and outpatient ORs promises to aid workflow and add flexibility for perioperative teams at The University of California Irvine (UCI) Health—Irvine campus, Healthcare Design reported October 7. As detailed in the article, the academic center must accommodate a variety of…
Editor's Note In a series of interviews with STAT, 11 cardiologists and other clinicians, including the FDA commissioner, said a crisis in primary care is dragging back progress in the nation’s cardiovascular health. Published October 15, the article begins with commentary on a stark warning from the American Heart Association…
Editor's Note The Biden administration has invoked wartime powers to speed rebuilding of intravenous fluid (IV) manufacturing capacity, CBS News reported October 15, four days after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took steps to combat drug shortages. Both efforts are in response to devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene,…
Editor's Note Research published in the American Journal of Infection Control finds that inadequate infection prevention and control (IP) staffing is associated with higher rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), including central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), Clostridioides difficile infections, and colon surgical site infections. Medical Xpress…
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has deemed Zyno Medical’s recall of Z-800, Z-800F, Z-800W, and Z-800WF infusion pumps a Class 1, the most severe designation indicating serious risk of injury or death. According to FDA’s October 11 announcement, the recall was due to a defect in…
Editor's Note A total of 27 announced deals for Q3 marks the highest point yet this year for hospital and health system transactions, DOTMed reported October 8, citing data from Kaufman Hall. “The increase aligns with pre-pandemic transaction levels, driven significantly by the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care, which accounted…
Editor's Note Raising awareness of misinformation and encouraging people to register as organ donors are among the ways organizations throughout the country are highlighting organ transplant disparities during Hispanic Heritage month, which ends October 15. Citing data from the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health,…
Editor's Note A Medicare policy introduced in 2020, which requires prior authorization for certain procedures done at hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), has not significantly reduced the volume of surgical procedures being done at these facilities, reports a study by Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, published on October 9. The policy,…
