National attention has been focused on Minneapolis, where federal immigration agents and the local community have been at odds. But there has been trouble about 150 miles north in the city of Duluth, Minn., as well. This week, the local delegation of state legislators from the state’s dominant Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL)…

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WALB-TV reports that the city of Ocilla, Ga., cut off water services to Irwin County Hospital on Monday over an unpaid water bill totaling over $20,000, according to local officials. The TV station reports that, according to a hospital official, city workers entered the property and turned off a valve, with hospital…

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If you’re looking for a model to handle the devastating but all-too-common complication of postoperative neurocognitive disorders (P-NCD, popularly known as delirium) experienced by your patients, some friends to our north have created a program that might be of interest. Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre this month welcomed the first…

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A new survey of healthcare professionals and administrators found that unauthorized artificial intelligence (AI) tools and apps are in wide use across hospitals and health systems in the U.S., including for direct patient care. Wolters Kluwer Health, which conducted the survey, calls these unauthorized tools “shadow AI,” and says their…

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A study by investigators at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha suggests that by embedding a standardized glucose management protocol into the electronic health record (EHR), perioperative teams can better control the blood sugar levels of diabetic patients. The study, published in Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology,…

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Patient safety organization ECRI has announced its 18th annual Top 10 Health Technology Hazards report. Without further ado, here’s the list, with almost all of the top 10 impacting perioperative care to varying degrees: Misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in healthcare Unpreparedness for a “digital darkness” event, or a…

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CBS affiliate KMOV-TV broadcast an investigation last week that reported concerning conditions about the state of surgical instruments at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. The TV station said it received tips from anonymous whistleblowers who “are terrified of losing their jobs but felt compelled to speak out” about “potentially contaminated…

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Sahan Journal, a nonprofit digital newsroom dedicated to reporting for immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota, reported that dozens of healthcare professionals and community members expressed concern about the presence of federal immigration officers at Minneapolis’ Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) at a Hennepin County Board of Commissioners meeting…

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A study from Canadian and Australian researchers has found that lower neighborhood income is associated with higher postoperative mortality, and suggests that improving surgical outcomes may require addressing disparities in social determinants of health. The study, published this week on JAMA Network Open, sought to answer the question, “How are…

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Retained surgical items (RSIs) remain among the most preventable yet persistently recurring surgical “never events.” Despite decades of implementing process checklists, counting protocols, and technology solutions, surgical items continue to be left inside patients across the country. The University of Michigan Health’s Periprocedural Safety and Quality Improvement (PSQIP) team says…

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