Editor's Note While artificial intelligence (AI) tools can inspire innovation and efficiency, they also pose safety risks, especially in a healthcare setting. Therefore, balancing centralization versus decentralization for AI oversight requires the right approach, according to research findings in a December 10 article in Harvard Business Review. The investigators sought…

Read More

Editor's Note To help teams develop and grow the confidence to demonstrate compliance with infection prevention practices during survey, focus on building practice-based consistency, an infection control consultant recently advised in an article published in the November/December issue of Healthcare Hygiene Magazine. The expert discussed infection control habits that healthcare…

Read More

Editor's Note In this session, Beverly Kirchner, BSN, RN, CNOR(E), CASC, vice president of compliance at TriasMD and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) track leader for the OR Manager Conference, spoke on behalf of Parkland Health’s JD Boucher and Karen Garvey on how violence against healthcare workers is rising and requires…

Read More

Editor's Note Hospitals can reduce anesthesia costs by up to 30% and significantly curb provider burnout by embracing technology-enabled collaboration with anesthesiology practices, Surgical Directions August 27 reports. The report outlines how rising demand, workforce shortages, and variable pay structures have pushed anesthesia expenditures up sharply in recent years. Traditional…

Read More

Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has activated shutdown rules that confine Medicare survey and certification work to health and safety essentials, according to an October 21 memo from the agency. Per the revised memorandum, excepted work during the federal shutdown includes investigations of complaints and…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded its early alert recall program to include all medical devices, speeding up how quickly the public learns about high-risk safety issues, Modern Healthcare October 9 reports. The initiative allows the FDA to post early alerts within days of manufacturers notifying…

Read More

Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving medical technology from reactive tools to adaptive learning systems, Medical Device Network October 6 reports. Shweta Maniar, Google Cloud’s global director of healthcare and life sciences, said that advances in agentic AI are enabling medtech devices to anticipate patient needs, simplify operations, and…

Read More

Editor's Note Beginning October 1, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is mandating that all De Novo classification requests be submitted electronically using its eSTAR system, according to a final rule and guidance issued by the agency. As detailed in the September 30 release, the shift marks a procedural change…

Read More

Editor's Note Sterile processing departments (SPDs) face chronic staffing shortages and underinvestment that put surgical patients at risk, according to a Surgical Directions September 18 report. It emphasizes that sterile processing technicians, who decontaminate, inspect, and sterilize every surgical instrument, remain under-recognized despite their central role in surgical safety. Per…

Read More

Editor's Note Hospitals will soon face stronger accountability for suicide prevention, as The Joint Commission prepares to implement “National Performance Goal (NPG) 8” on January 1, 2026, its September 3 news update reports. The goal, titled “The hospital reduces the risk for suicide,” replaces current requirements under “National Patient Safety…

Read More