Editor's Note Quest Medical, Inc (Allen, Texas), on October 28 initiated a nationwide recall of its Myocardial Protection System delivery sets, Models 5001102, 5001102-AS, and 7001102 of specified lots. The sets have shown possible seal failure along the blood source channel of the main pump cassette, resulting in blood loss…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) has recognized 52 of 517 participating hospitals for achieving meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2014. Recognized hospitals are deemed “meritorious” for their composite quality scores in eight surgical care outcome areas. Hospitals are required…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rejection rate of Medicare fee-for-service claims submitted with the new ICD-10 codes was 10.1% in October. Invalid use of ICD-9 codes resulted in the rejection of 0.11%, and 2% were not accepted because of invalid or incomplete information. More information…

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Editor's Note On October 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final 2016 payment rule for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). ASC payment rates will increase by 0.3%, which is based on a projected inflation rate of 0.8% minus a 0.5% productivity adjustment required by the Affordable…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its final rules detailing how it will pay for services provided by physicians and other healthcare professionals in 2016. Key policies finalized in the rules include: Updates to the “Two-Midnight” rule, which clarifies when inpatient admissions are appropriate…

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Editor's Note Almost 200 healthcare organizations sent letters to Congress urging members to restore funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The House Appropriations Committee in June voted to eliminate the research agency, and the Senate Appropriations Committee proposed a 35% cut to AHRQ’s budget. The letters…

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Editor's Note The amount of propofol required for general anesthesia varies widely among patients, and some may be able to receive a lower dose than usually administered, according to a study presented at the Anesthesiology 2015 annual meeting in San Diego. The amount of propofol required to produce unconsciousness was…

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Editor's Note Compared to married patients, those who were divorced, separated, or widowed had a 40% greater chance of dying or developing a functional disability in the first 2 years after cardiac surgery, in this study. Characterizing the association between marital status and postoperative function may be useful for counseling…

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Editor's Note Resident involvement in surgery is associated with comparable patient morbidity and lower mortality outcomes than procedures without residents, this study finds. The analysis used data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). The findings provide a reassuring answer to patients, attending surgeons,…

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Editor's Note The American Nurses Association (ANA) is urging all RNs to get the seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination and to advise their patients to get vaccinated also. Vaccination is the safest way to protect patients and the public from flu transmission while providing care, the ANA says. The ANA’s position…

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