Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on February 22 released an update to its Medicare Part D opioid prescribing mapping tool and a new Medicaid opioid prescribing mapping tool. The Medicare tool is an interactive, web-based resource that shows geographic comparisons of opioid prescribing rates at state,…

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Editor's Note Making a simple change to the electronic system used by physicians to order urine tests can cut by 45% the number of bacterial cultures ordered without compromising the identification of patients who need treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs), this study finds. In this analysis of 18,954 patients…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on February 22 identified the recall by ICU Medical (San Clemente, California) of its ChemoLock Vial Spike (20 mm) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the potential for plastic particles to break off the protective cap.…

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Editor's Note Communities in the US with more primary care physicians had lower mortality rates than those with fewer physicians, this study finds. Results showed a: 51.5 day increase in life expectancy for every 10 additional primary care physicians per 100,000 people 19.2 day increase in life expectancy for every…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on February 4 identified the recall by Smiths Medical (Minneapolis, Minnesota) of certain lots of Sterile Saline and Water for Inhalation as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of potential exposure to infectious agents (bacillus infantis and staphylococcus…

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Editor's Note The personality quality termed “grit” was associated with longevity as a leader, higher educational attainment, and reduced burnout in nurse leaders in this study. A survey of nurse leaders across the US measuring grit (ie, courage and resolve, strength of character) and well-being found that grit was significantly…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 20 announced that it is seeking comments on a proposed element of performance (EP) for office-based surgery practices that provide fluoroscopy services. The new requirement−Environment of Care (EC) standard EC.02.02.01−addresses the monitoring of radiation exposure badges. The deadline for comments is March 29.

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Editor's Note New nurses are predominantly working 12-hour shifts and nearly half work overtime each week, trends that have remained relatively the same over the past 10 years, this study finds. Analyzing surveys from more than 4,500 newly licensed nurses in 13 states and Washington, DC, researchers from New York…

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Editor's Note US hospitals added 18,800 jobs in January to a seasonally adjusted 5,214,200, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on February 1. That’s up 112,100 more employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment has increased 367,800 in the past year. The overall unemployment rose by 0.1% in January…

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Editor's Note In this prospective study, nonfrailty and elective surgery were positively associated with functional recovery of older patients after major surgery. Of 754 community-living patients 70 years or older who were analyzed, 266 survived major surgery with increased disability and were monitored for 6 months. A total of 174…

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