Editor's Note Implementing strategies to reduce the number of OR door openings during total hip and knee procedures helped lower surgical site infections (SSIs) in this study presented at the 2016 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Conference in San Diego. Strategies included stopping all traffic in…

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Editor's Note Loss of independence in surgical patients 65 years and older was associated with readmission and mortality after discharge, this study finds. The study of more than 5,000 patients found that loss of independence occurred frequently and increased with age. After risk adjustment, loss of independence was significantly associated…

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Editor's Note After 30 years, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing baccalaureate program is ending with its July 22 graduation ceremony. Last fall, Johns Hopkins transitioned to an all-graduate school when it welcomed its first class of the Master of Science in Nursing: Entry into Nursing Practice program. The degree…

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Editor's Note Improving processes for ordering, transporting, and storing blood at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, resulted in $2 million in savings and a 30% reduction in blood utilization in a study presented as a poster presentation at the 2016 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program…

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Editor's Note A surgical comanagement hospitalist program reduced complications, length of stay, 30-day readmissions, number of consultants, and cost of care in this study. There was no significant changed in patient satisfaction and the average savings was $2,642 to $4,303 per patient. This retrospective study by researchers from Stanford University…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are recommending using unique device identifiers (UDIs) in universal health insurance claims forms to improve value-based reimbursement for medical devices and postmarket surveillance, the July 14 Modern Healthcare reports. Proponents say UDIs could help…

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Editor's Note Telehealth postoperative follow-up may be feasible for patients having select abdominal, neck, and skin/soft tissue procedures with uncomplicated courses, duration of stay less than 4 days, and no interval contact with the operative team, finds this study. The study included 251 veterans who had general surgery. A total…

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Editor's Note Physicians are trying to adapt privacy concerns and requirements to meet patient requests that electronic health record (EHR) data be sent to their mobile apps, including fitness trackers, according to a report in the July 7 Healthcare IT News. Meaningful use and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization…

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Editor's Note Frailty has a significant impact on postoperative outcomes that varies with procedure, this study finds. Using data on 232,352 patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program who had elective, high-risk surgical procedures, multivariate analysis found that frailty was associated with complications, prolonged duration…

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Editor's Note June was the worst month of 2016 for healthcare information security, with 29 breaches that affected more than 11 million patient records, the July 7 Healthcare IT News reports. A total of 24 healthcare providers accounted for 86% of the breaches, with three occurring at health plans and…

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