Editor's Note This Canadian study finds that hospitals impacted by COVID-19 can reduce their surgical backlogs by scheduling elective surgeries on the weekends. Using machine learning algorithms, the researchers demonstrated that even after resuming their usual level of surgical cases, the wait list would not decrease without a substantial increase…

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Editor's Note US News & World Report on July 26 posted its 2022-2023 Best Hospitals rankings, highlighting the top 20 hospitals named to its Honor Roll for delivering exceptional care across many specialties. For the seventh consecutive year, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, ranked number one. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 28 identified the recall by Covidien, LLC (Medtronic) of its Palindrome and Mahurkar hemodialysis catheters as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of a catheter hub defect that connects both extension catheters. There is a potential…

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Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) released a new brief offering tips on how to protect healthcare organizations from basic web application attacks, the American Hospital Association (AHA) July 26 reports. These attacks target patient portals and expose patient…

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Editor’s Note US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra has advanced the existing Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) from a staff division to an operating division, using the new name of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). ASPR is…

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Editor's Note This study led by nurse researchers Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Karen Lasater, PhD, RN, FAAN, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, finds that if New York state enacts nurse staffing legislation currently under consideration, many lives would be saved and shorter hospital stays…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 27 updated its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings for 2022—giving 429 hospitals a five-star rating, based on their performance across five quality categories, the July 27 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. There also were: 890 hospitals that received a…

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Cancer treatment delays in COVID-19 patients This large prospective cohort study from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, found that multiple patient factors, underlying primary malignant neoplasm, multimorbidity, geographic location, receipt of vaccine, and COVID-19 severity and diagnosis date were linked to delays in cancer treatment during…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on July 27 announced that it is revising its National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) Standard NPSG.15.01.01, element of performance (EP) 1, to now include long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals, effective January 1, 2023. The change will allow The Joint Commission to score environmental risk assessment…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, finds that completing a primary vaccination series after recovering from COVID-19 reduces the risk of reinfection by about half. A total of 95,000 Rhode Island residents participated in this cohort study, including residents and employees of long-term congregate…

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