General surgery residents who are mistreated at greater risk of burnout
Editor's Note Half of general surgery residents experience workplace mistreatment at least a few times a year, which greatly raises their risk of burnout and suicidal thoughts, finds a national survey that was presented October 28 at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019 in San Francisco. Survey responses…
Hospital employment up in October
Editor's Note Employment in US hospitals was up 2,100 jobs in October to a seasonally adjusted 5,270,600, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on November 1. That’s up 91,300 more employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment has increased 402,100 in the past year. The overall unemployment rate was…
Cholecystectomy tied to better outcomes when performed soon after admission
Editor's Note Delaying a cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis more than 3 days after admission increased the rate of complications, hospital readmissions, and lengthened hospital stays, in this study presented October 30 at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019 in San Francisco. Using 2012 to 2016 ACS National Surgical…
FDA: ICU Medical recalls Lactated Ringer’s Injection, 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on October 30 announced the nationwide recall by ICU Medical (San Clemente, California) of one lot of Lactated Ringer’s Injection, USP, and one lot of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection because of the presence of particulate matter. The affected lot numbers are: Lactated Ringer’s…
Postop opioid prescribing, use drop after state imposed regulations
Editor's Note A state-mandated policy restricting opioid prescriptions in Vermont greatly reduced opioid prescribing and use by surgical patients at the University of Vermont Medical Center without affecting patient satisfaction with their postoperative pain management, finds this study presented October 29 at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019…
Joint Commission: Deadline approaching for submission of CY 2019 eCQM data
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 29 announced that the deadline for onboarding to the Direct Data Submission (DDS) Platform for submission of CY 2019 electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) is December 20. Organizations that submitted CY 2018 eCQMs through the DDS Platform do not need to be onboarded…
12-hour call shifts improve patient outcomes, lower costs
Editor's Note An acute-care surgery model that caps surgeon call shifts at 12 hours instead of 24 hours for covering surgical emergencies has led to shorter hospital stays, lower infection rates, and lower overall costs for patients with acute appendicitis, finds this study presented October 30 at the American College…
Joint Commission issues Quick Safety on new maternal hemorrhage standard
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 29 announced a new “Quick Safety 51: Proactive prevention of maternal death from maternal hemorrhage,” which provides background information on strategies outlined in a new maternal hemorrhage standard. The new Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services (PC) standard, "PC.06.01.01: Reduce the likelihood of…
AI outperforms clinicians’ judgment in triaging postop patients to ICU
Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of a machine-learned algorithm correctly triaged the vast majority of postoperative patients to the ICU, in this pilot study presented October 29 at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019 in San Francisco. The algorithm included 87 clinical variables and 15…
FDA: Class I recall of Ethicon Echelon Flex Endopath staplers
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on October 30 identified the recall by Ethicon of its Echelon Flex Endopath staplers as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of failure of the staplers to completely form staples. As of October 3, 2019, seven serious injuries and one…
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- Healthcare job gain in August offset by losses in federal government, other industries
- AHA study: HOPD Medicare patients are poorer, sicker, more rural than those seen in physician offices
- ACS, Lifesaving Technologies launch nationwide effort to expand bleeding control readiness
- Minimally invasive ICH surgery evacuates clot fast but fails to improve 6-month outcomes
- Rural hospitals face crisis under OBBBA as experts call for cohesive reform
- AMA urges health systems to act now on AI governance
- Suicide Prevention Month: Hospitals prepare for new The Joint Commission suicide prevention goal, effective 2026
- Survey: Perioperative leaders adapt to supply strain, staffing pressure, ASC growth
- Gait retraining eases knee osteoarthritis pain as effectively as medication, can delay knee surgery