Editor's Note This study from the Mayo Clinic finds that despite calls for the expansion of outpatient surgery to mitigate the growing backlog of surgical cases during COVID-19, the transition of general surgery procedures from inpatient to outpatient settings occurred in only a small subset of procedures. This cohort study…

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Editor's Note As supply chain challenges remain a top concern for health leaders in 2023, ECRI Institute shared three strategies to reduce wasted cost and maximize savings on February 28. Identify substitute products. Consider lower cost, functionally equivalent products and alternative suppliers. Work towards supply chain standardization. Access utilization. Review…

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Editor's Note A recent Health Day-Harris Poll online survey finds that 63% of nurse and physician respondents are experiencing moderate or severe burnout at work, the February 23 Health Day News reports. Other findings include: 66% of physicians and 75% of nurses cite understaffing as the main contributor to burnout…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, National Committee for Quality Assurance, and National Quality Forum announced, February 22, the release of a joint statement on digital health data exchange of social determinants of health (SDOH) assessments.  The statement begins with: “Collecting and exchanging data on SDOH connects individuals, healthcare organizations, and…

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Editor's Note This study led by the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, examines the longitudinal rates, risk factors, and costs of superficial and deep incisional surgical site infections (SSIs) after primary and revision total knee arthroplasties (TKAs). A total of 26,097 primary TKA patients and 3,663 revision TKA patients were…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 22 announced the opening of the CY 2022 Direct Data Submission Platform. The opening had been delayed to improve its stability. The delay extends submission deadlines for CY 2022 data and delays the opening of the platform for CY 2023 data. The new…

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Editor's Note This systematic review and meta-analysis by researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, finds that natural immunity provided by past COVID-19 infection offers strong protection against reinfection and severe disease for at least 40 weeks. The analysis included 65 studies from 19 countries. Among the findings: For those…

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This year, the OR Business Management Conference was held in Savannah, Georgia, and returned to its regular schedule of February. The intimate event was again a symbiotic blend between financial-, business-centric education and high-quality networking. The education offered to seasoned and new business leaders alike, perhaps more than previous years,…

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The OR department is often what keeps most hospitals afloat. Surgical services account for roughly 50% of a hospital’s revenue, but they also contribute approximately 60% to overall costs. ORs must be efficient. Successes and failures in the surgical suite affects the entire system. Healthcare systems have found that highly…

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Float teams have been a staple of nurse-staffing plans for many years, but they have not been widely used in the operating room. Utah Valley Hospital, a Level II trauma center in Provo, Utah, and part of the Intermountain Healthcare system, has been developing float teams for nearly 2 decades.…

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