Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on March 30, announced that it had contracted with Dynamic Health IT to help develop a new Direct Data Submission Platform (DDSP) and electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) engine. The DDSP will facilitate submission of quality measurement data directly to The Joint Commission from approximately…

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Editor's Note The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced on March 28 that it had honored a request by Pacific PPE Corp to rescind all of its N95 respirator mask approvals, effective immediately. Respirators with NIOSH approval numbers TC-84A-9278, TC-84A-9299, and TC-84A-9313 will no longer be manufactured,…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on March 23, identified the recall by Celltrion USA of certain point of care DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test kits (labeled for research use only) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the kits were distributed to customers…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 23 announced that it is developing new and revised requirements on reducing healthcare disparities for its accreditation programs. A field review is open and seeking comments on the proposed new Leadership (LD) standard LD.04.03.08 as well as revisions to the Record of Care,…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 21 identified the recall by Philips Respironics of certain V60 and V60 Plus Ventilators as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because a subset of these devices had parts that were put together using an expired adhesive.…

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According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the global ambulatory surgery center (ASC) market is valued at around $81 billion, as of 2020, and it is projected to reach $120 billion by 2027. The ASC market in the US is estimated at almost $22 billion, with intelligence company…

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Editor's Note According to a March 4 notice filed by NYC Test & Trace Corps, New York City's (NYC’s) initiative for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, the city is ending universal contact tracing by the end of April, Becker’s Hospital Review March 10 reported. This means that NYC Health +…

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Editor's Note Based on data submitted by Janssen Biotech Inc., a pharmaceutical company wholly owned by Johnson & Johnson, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized on March 7 the extension of the shelf life for refrigerated Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, the American Hospital Association March 14 reported. The…

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Editor's Note The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) on March 8 announced the publication of a new report outlining actions needed to successfully battle future pandemics while fighting the rise in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Some recommendations in the 66-page report, titled “Between a Rock and Hard…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on March 7 posted the recall by Fresenius Kabi USA (Lake Zurich, Illinois) of seven lots of its Sodium Acetate Injection, USP, 400 mEq/100 mL The recall was initiated because of the presence of particulate matter found in reserve and/or stability sample vials.…

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