Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a series of early alerts this month regarding high-risk recalls from several leading medical device makers, citing patient safety risks ranging from pump failures to vascular complications. These alerts highlight issues with products from Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J’s) Abiomed unit,…

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Editor's Note Treating every patient the same may feel fair, but it can be dangerous, according to a September 2025 article from the American Journal of Nursing, which argues that cultural indifference in nursing practice undermines patient safety and trust. Per the article, person-centered care requires more than standardized protocols.…

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When Phyllis Quinlan, PhD, RN, NPD‑BC, founded MFW Consultants in 1994, she was already on her third career pivot. The former social‑work intern turned emergency‑trauma nurse discovered that the high-stakes of the emergency department (ED), coupled with her human‑behavior insights from sociology and psychology degrees, gave her a rare vantage point on how…

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Know the law. It could save your patients’ lives and your staff members’ practices. This is the advice of several medical legal experts to OR leaders to prevent lapses in patient protections that risk injury or even death. Beyond ensuring safe surgery and preventing litigation, perioperative nursing experts who advance…

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Editor's Note The proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to eliminate the Medicare Inpatient Only (IPO) list over 3 years could significantly expand opportunities for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), with rural facilities among those positioned to benefit most, Ambulatory Surgery Center News August 12 reports. The…

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Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) released its v44 Standards, introducing new guidance designed to strengthen patient-focused care, streamline compliance, and align with evolving state regulations, an August 18 AAAHC announcement reports. As detailed in the news release, the v44 Standards, effective December 16, 2025, were…

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Editor’s Note: This page is a companion piece to the main article, "Health systems embrace partnerships, new training pathways to address surgical technologist shortage."   The Association of Surgical Technologists (AST), a 55,000-member organization, acknowledges the growing shortage of surgical technologists (STs) but is raising alarms over the rise of…

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Editor's Note Healthcare hiring slowed in the second quarter of 2025, with nursing and technician roles experiencing steep declines even as physician and pharmacy jobs continued to grow. According to HealthLeaders August 19, the shift signals a potential rebalancing in workforce priorities as hospitals and health systems adapt to financial…

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Editor's Note Surgical episodes for Medicare Advantage (MA) patients cost less and used fewer resources than those for traditional Medicare (TM) beneficiaries, according to a JAMA Health Forum study published August 1. Researchers analyzed 1.18 million procedures performed on 1.11 million beneficiaries and found 30-day episode costs were 3.1% lower…

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Editor's Note Healthcare providers, payers, and analytics teams face sweeping ICD-10 changes this fall, with the 2026 code updates taking effect October 1, 2025, Wolters Kluwer July 14 reports. The release includes 614 new codes, 12 invalidations, 642 billability changes, 88 terminology revisions, and the creation of an entirely new…

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