Costs & Cost Controls
Leaders translate legislative priorities to perioperative practice
The wave of new legal requirements for surgical smoke evacuation across the country has given OR leaders a crash course in how to act on any new legislation. Based on this experience, complying with other new and pending laws will put these skills to the test. Major hurdles are likely…
Study: OR waste training boosts recycling, but impact fades with time
Editor's Note A single training session on waste segregation significantly increased recycling rates among OR staff, but gains began to erode within two months, according to a study published May 26 in Nature: Scientific Reports. Conducted at Ankara University Cebeci Hospital, the quasi-experimental study assessed the impact of a single-session,…
Proposed HHS, NIH budget cuts reveal administration priorities
Editor's Note The Trump administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget calls for slashing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) discretionary budget by $32 billion, a nearly 25% cut that brings the total to $95 billion. Fierce Healthcare reported the news June 2. Although many of the proposed cuts…
CMS takeover of 340B looms as some health systems double down on drug discount strategy
Editor's Note The federal 340B Drug Pricing Program may soon shift from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a move that could bring tighter oversight and lasting consequences for safety-net providers, Modern Healthcare June 2 reports. The proposed transfer, part…
CMS updates hospital price transparency guidelines
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated hospital price transparency guidelines to require publishing real, calculated dollar amounts rather than placeholders and estimates. As detailed in the agency’s May 22 announcement, the revision complies with President Trump’s February 25 Executive Order 14221, “Making America Healthy…
Hospital support staff cuts raise risk of infection, delays in care
Editor's Note Although health system layoffs so far involve mostly non-clinical staff, the cuts nonetheless threaten both hospital operations and patient safety, according to a May 21 article in Modern Healthcare. As detailed in the article, thousands of nonclinical workers—such as those working in nutrition, janitorial, and sterile processing—have been…
Report ranks states by nursing opportunity
Editor's Note Washington, New Hampshire, and Oregon lead the nation as the best states for nurses in 2025, offering a compelling mix of high pay, strong job growth, and supportive work environments, according to an April 29 report from WalletHub. The rankings, based on 20 key metrics, highlight significant disparities…
Low-income patients billed despite hospital tax breaks
Editor's Note Nonprofit hospitals, which are legally required to provide free or discounted care to qualifying patients, attempt to collect hundreds of millions of dollars from low-income patients annually while receiving significant tax breaks meant to ensure affordable care, according to a May 12 article from CBS News. As…
Ice machines spread Legionella in hospital oncology unit, prompting testing overhaul
Editor's Note Legionalla contaminated a hospital ice machine and likely infected an oncology patient through aspirated ice chips, according to an April 30 report in Healio. Presented in a study at The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the incident prompted immediate changes to water testing protocols at AdventHealth,…
Federal grant cuts threaten hospital disaster readiness
Editor's Note Eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) key disaster preparedness grants could weaken hospital infrastructure and jeopardize care during future crises, according to a May 5 report in Modern Healthcare. As detailed in the article, the Trump administration has cut $3.3 billion in annual funding by ending the…
Free Daily News
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