The Joint Commission: New toolkit helps find survey, review resources
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on July 6, announced a new online toolkit, the “Readiness Roadmap,” that will help organizations locate resources for survey or review based on where they are in their accreditation, certification, or verification process. The toolkit, which is available on The Joint Commission’s Connect extranet site…
New study: Disposable gowns may expose clinicians to infection
Editor's Note After this October 2020 peer-reviewed study, titled “Disposable versus reusable medical gowns: A performance comparison,” found that “isolation gowns commonly worn in medical units or intensive care units ripped too easily and allowed about four to 14 times the expected amount of liquid to seep through when sprayed…
CMS physician fee schedule proposes 4.43% cut in 2023
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its Medicare physician fee schedule proposed rule for 2023, “which suggests further cuts to physician pay while inflation and the cost of running an independent practice continue to rise,” Becker’s ASC Review July 8 reports. The proposed rule would…
FDA allows for pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid to treat COVID-19
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on July 6 that it would alter its emergency use authorization for the Paxlovid pill—Pfizer’s oral antiviral pill used by some to treat COVID-19—to allow pharmacists to prescribe the treatment to recently affected individuals directly. According to Fierce Pharma July…
Economic health of hospitals looks to be improving
Editor's Note According to a report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), economic activity in the hospital subsector grew in June for the 25th consecutive month, Healthcare Purchasing News July 7 reports. Following are some observations, according to Nancy LeMaster, MBA, ISM chair for the Hospital Business Survey Committee:…
Cybersecurity alert: New ransomware threat to healthcare out of North Korea
Editor's Note The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Treasury Department on July 6 issued a joint cybersecurity advisory warning of ransomware threats against the US healthcare and public sectors from hackers sponsored by North Korea, Becker’s Health IT July 6 reports. The FBI explained the threat comes from…
COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases up over the last month
Editor's Note According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 7-day average of daily hospitalizations caused by COVID-19 infection is up nearly 24% over the previous month, the American Hospital Association (AHA) June 6 reports. In addition, the CDC reported “nearly 30,000 hospitalizations” due to…
Justice Department showing closer inspection of ASC, anesthesia provider arrangements
Editor's Note According to a June 20 article published by JDSupra from law firm Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, recent government action out of the Justice Department involving ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and anesthesia provider arrangements points "to a need to carefully vet these partnerships,” Becker’s ASC Review June 21…
CMS updates ASC guidance, revisions for surveyors
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently updated its State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix L—Guidance for Surveyors: Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs), making conforming revisions to the regulatory tags and interpretive guidelines, as well as clarifications and technical corrections to other guidance areas including medical history…
Study: COVID was third leading cause of death in 2020, 2021
Editor's Note According to a study analyzing national death certificate data by researchers at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the US between March 2020 and October 2021, Healthcare Purchasing News (HPN) July 6 reports. During…
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