AHA urges HHS to cut regulations that burden hospitals and staff
Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) has called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to eliminate or ease a variety of federal regulations, arguing that excessive administrative rules drive up costs, reduce patient access, and hinder innovation, Modern Healthcare reported May 13. According to the article,…
As healthcare faces skyrocketing cyberattacks, surgeons are urged to lead frontline defense
Editor’s Note Healthcare organizations are hemorrhaging millions to cybercrime and turning to medical staff as unlikely but indispensable defenders in the face of this growing threat. As detailed in a Cyber Security News April 29 article, healthcare remains the most expensive industry for data breaches, with the average cost reaching…
Study shows WHO surgical checklist boosts safety, but compliance gaps risk patient outcomes
Editor’s Note Tertiary hospitals are embracing the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC), yet inconsistent compliance—especially during time-out—exposes patients to avoidable risks, Cureus April 29 reports. In this study, the researchers found that while overall integration of the SSC is promising, there were compliance gaps particularly in pre-incision…
OAS CAHPS compliance soars to 96% among ASCs, vendor satisfaction also improves
Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) across the US have quickly adapted to the new federal requirement mandating participation in the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey, according to a March 2025 "60-Second Survey" from ASCA. The survey captured responses from 261…
Visual cues, education boost hand hygiene compliance
It is often said that small actions lead to big results. This so happens to be the case with hand hygiene compliance (HHC) in healthcare. Imagine a simple act, like washing hands, cutting infection rates by half—hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and surgical site infections being reduced simply by improving handwashing behaviors.…
Study: Observational learning ineffective in ensuring nursing student infection control compliance
Editor's Note New research underscores the need for innovative educational approaches to strengthen infection control practices. Published January 8 in the American Journal of Infection control, the study examined the impact of clinical observations on nursing students' adherence to standard precautions. Findings show observational learning contributes minimally to compliance, accounting…
OR Manager Conference session: Converting HOPDs to ASCs—What do hospitals need to know?
Editor's Note This session on converting hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) into ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), presented at the recently concluded OR Manager Conference, saw Joan Dentler, MBA, founder of Avanza Healthcare Strategies, share practical insights for healthcare leaders contemplating this transition. Dentler began by highlighting the history of ASCs, which…
DEA registration validation changes challenge healthcare accreditation
Editor's Note Since February 2024, changes to the Registrant Validation Toolset from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have introduced new hurdles for healthcare organizations, MedTrainer October 2024 reports. The updates, which aim to prevent fraud by adding multi-factor authentication, are causing compliance challenges during primary source verification (PSV). Credentialers are…
Report: US hospitals see sevenfold improvement in hand hygiene compliance since 2020
Editor's Note According to this report published by The Leapfrog Group this month, hospitals in the US have significantly improved hand hygiene compliance, with 74% meeting the Leapfrog Hand Hygiene Standard in 2023, up from 11% in 2020. Among other factors, the report attributes this improvement to increased use of…
HHS withdraws appeal on rule limiting hospital use of web tracking technology
Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has withdrawn its appeal against a federal court decision that blocked a rule restricting hospitals from using tracking technology on their websites, HealthLeaders August 30 reports. This rule, proposed in December 2022 by the HHS Office for Civil Rights,…
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- Survey: Burnout, rigid schedules push nurses to leave
- UCLA surgeons perform world’s first bladder transplant
- AHA urges HHS to cut regulations that burden hospitals and staff
- Commentary: Overlooking, underfunding perioperative mental health threatens patients
- Study: Fewer men undergo unnecessary prostate cancer surgery amid rise in active surveillance
- OpenAI benchmarking tool tests healthcare LLMs
- Healthgrades recognizes top 15% of hospitals for patient experience in 2025
- Q1 reports show climb in outpatient surgical volume, diverging trends at Surgery Partners, Ardent Health
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