Surgery/Specialties
Changes in hospital-acquired conditions, mortality after HACRP
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, find that hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) targeted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) declined after the program was announced, but 30-day mortality was unchanged. The analysis included 8,857,877 Medicare beneficiaries…
Effect of interruptions in Medicare patient treatment during COVID-19 on physicians, practices
Editor's Note This study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that practice interruptions in the treatment of Medicare patients spiked in April 2020, and interruption-without-return rates were larger for older physicians. In this analysis of 547,849 physicians billing Medicare: Practice…
Survey: Orthopedic patients more satisfied with telehealth visits than surgeons
Editor's Note In this study presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in San Diego, researchers found that orthopedic surgical patients had a higher level of satisfaction with telehealth visits than surgeons, the September 16 Healio Orthopedics Today reports. Of 107 patients and six surgeons surveyed, approximately…
FDA: Class I recall of Medtronic Pipeline Flex Embolization devices
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on September 20, identified Medtronic’s recall of its Pipeline Flex Embolization Device and Pipeline Flex Embolization Device with Shield Technology as Class I, the most serious. The devices, which are used to treat brain aneurysms, were recalled because there is a risk…
How might telehealth alter approaches to surgical patient care?
Telehealth services grew exponentially in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall telehealth utilization for office visits and outpatient care was 78 times higher in April 2020 than in February 2020, according to a McKinsey & Company July 2021 report. Since then, telehealth utilization has stabilized at levels that…
Widening of racial, socioeconomic healthcare gap for organ transplant patients during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, finds that although COVID-19’s effect on access to liver transplantation has been all-pervasive, minorities have been disproportionately affected—especially those with public insurance. During the initial wave of COVID-19, organ transplantation was classified as a…
Surgical patients find postop virtual visits more convenient without loss of satisfaction
Editor's Note In this study by researchers at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, surgical patients find virtual follow-up care more convenient than traditional in-person appointments without loss of quality or efficiency, which are important components of patient satisfaction. The analysis included 289 patients having laparoscopic appendectomy or…
Zimmer Biomet platform links with Apple Watch for postop patient care
Editor's Note Zimmer Biomet on August 31 presented data at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2021 annual meeting that highlighted the clinical value of its MyMobility platform with Apple Watch, the August 31 Mass Device reports. MyMobility is a remote care management platform that helps guide and support patients…
Higher postop VTE risk linked to COVID-19
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at University Hospital Birmingham, UK, finds that COVID-19 is associated with a significantly increased risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE). This analysis of more than 128,000 patients at 1,630 hospitals in 115 countries found that the likelihood of postoperative VTE was 50% higher…
Nebraska governor orders hospitals to limit elective surgical procedures
Editor's Note On August 26, Nebraska Gov Pete Ricketts announced multiple initiatives to increase bed capacity and boost hospital staffing in his state amid the latest wave of COVID-19, including a health measure to limit elective surgical procedures. He directed hospitals to cancel elective inpatient surgical procedures “that can wait…
Free Daily News
- Surgical robotics market accelerates as new players challenge industry giants
- Robotic surgery boosts 3-year relapse-free survival in rectal cancer
- Low-cost simulation helps surgical trainees practice crisis skills for major hemorrhage
- Nurse leaders weigh in on NCLEX pass rate decline, impact on workforce readiness
- FDA issues early alerts on multiple high-risk device recalls from J&J, Medtronic, Baxter, Boston Scientific
- New UCSF measure shows 1 in 60 cesarean deliveries involve serious surgical complications
- Hospitals can curb costly post-acute discharges with targeted periop programs, study finds
- Sameness in nursing care puts patients at risk
- CMS’s plan to phase out inpatient-only list could bolster rural ASCs
- AAAHC unveils v44 standards to sharpen focus on patient-centered ambulatory care