Researchers develop world's most sensitive test for superbugs
Editor's Note A diagnostic tool developed by researchers at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, can detect the smallest traces of compounds that signal the presence of an infectious disease, such as C difficile, MRSA, hepatitis C, and other superbugs. The test has the best sensitivity ever reported for a detection system.…
Efficient health information exchange could significantly lower costs
Editor's Note Including a health information exchange query into emergency department patient care could significantly reduce the number of tests ordered and reduce costs, finds this study. Efficient health information exchange was associated with a 52% reduction in lab tests and a 36% reduction in radiology exams per patient ordered…
Industry payments to nurses not reported in federal database
Editor's Note Though a nurse practitioner in Connecticut pleaded guilty recently to taking $83,000 in kickbacks from a drug company, the payments were not listed in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payments Database. That’s because companies are not required under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act to publicly…
Improving OR efficiency with constraint management
Editor's Note Simple changes in preadmission testing and OR scheduling, including appointing a senior nurse anesthetist to help direct OR use, resulted in improvements in OR efficiency and case volume in this study. Substantial improvement was seen in first case on-time starts (39% to 84%), as well as utilization of…
CMS, AMA announce efforts to help with transition to ICD-10
Editor's Note In less than 3 months, healthcare providers will switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding for medical diagnoses and inpatient hospital procedures. To help providers get ready for the October 1 deadline, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is releasing additional guidance that will allow for flexibility in…
Association between hospital performance and surgical quality
Editor's Note In this study, researchers found a significant association between patient satisfaction scores and surgical quality measures. Of 180 hospitals, the overall mean patient satisfaction score was 68% (lowest quartile, 59%; highest quartile, 77%). Patients treated in hospitals in the highest quartile had significantly lower risks of death, failure…
Time-to-readmission after surgery linked to increased mortality
Editor's Note Surgical readmissions within 10 days of discharge were disproportionately common and associated with increased mortality in this study. Increasing time-to-readmission correlated with a stepwise decrease in mortality: For example, 90-day mortality was 12.6% in patients readmitted between 1 and 5 days, 11.4% at 6 to 10 days, and…
Effect of blood transfusions on postop outcomes
Editor's Note In this study, postoperative blood transfusions after noncardiac surgery were linked to increased adverse postoperative outcomes, except for postoperative myocardial infarction. This analysis of nearly 50,000 patients at 52 hospitals found that postoperative transfusions were associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality (3.6%), morbidity (4.4%), and infections…
Aetna to buy Humana for $37 Billion
Editor's Note Aetna Inc has agreed to buy rival health insurer Humana Inc for $37 billion in cash and stock, creating the second-largest provider of health insurance in the US. The Affordable Care Act has spurred mergers by introducing rules that push insurers to look for savings. Humana’s 3.2 million Medicare…
Massachusetts approves state's first nurse staffing mandate
Editor's Note The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission has voted unanimously to approve the state’s first nurse staffing mandate. It calls for no more than two patients to be assigned to one nurse in all ICUs, including burn units and NICUs. In some cases just one patient is assigned to one…
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- Surgical robotics market accelerates as new players challenge industry giants
- Robotic surgery boosts 3-year relapse-free survival in rectal cancer
- Low-cost simulation helps surgical trainees practice crisis skills for major hemorrhage
- Nurse leaders weigh in on NCLEX pass rate decline, impact on workforce readiness
- FDA issues early alerts on multiple high-risk device recalls from J&J, Medtronic, Baxter, Boston Scientific
- New UCSF measure shows 1 in 60 cesarean deliveries involve serious surgical complications
- Hospitals can curb costly post-acute discharges with targeted periop programs, study finds
- Sameness in nursing care puts patients at risk
- CMS’s plan to phase out inpatient-only list could bolster rural ASCs
- AAAHC unveils v44 standards to sharpen focus on patient-centered ambulatory care