CDC shifts COVID-19 vaccination to individual decision-making, separates chickenpox shot for toddlers
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its immunization schedules to emphasize individual-based decision-making for COVID-19 vaccination and to recommend that toddlers receive a standalone varicella (chickenpox) vaccine rather than the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) shot, a CDC October 6 release reports.…
Cuts to NIOSH, OSHA threaten decades of worker-safety progress
Editor's Note The dismantling of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) jeopardizes worker safety nationwide and risks reversing decades of progress, New England Journal of Medicine October 4 reports. In April, sweeping federal workforce reductions eliminated more than 80% of NIOSH staff, closing laboratories and freezing core…
No BLS report: Government shutdown stalls key jobs report amid signs of labor market weakness
Editor's Note The government shutdown has halted operations at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), delaying the release of crucial economic data at a time when job growth is already faltering, Newsweek October 1 reports. The BLS confirmed it will suspend all data collection and reporting during the shutdown, including…
US launches tariff investigations into medical supplies and devices, raising stakes for healthcare supply chain
Editor's Note The US Department of Commerce has initiated national security investigations that could trigger new tariffs on a wide range of imported medical products, with potentially far-reaching effects for healthcare providers, Reuters September 24 reports. The probes, opened under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, cover…
Government shutdown squeezes military medicine, halts NIH research, cuts CDC operations
Editor's Note Following yesterday’s update on the impact of the federal government shutdown on telehealth and Affordable Care Act disruptions, the shutdown is also straining military health systems, biomedical research, and disease prevention programs, creating ripple effects for patient care and surgical innovation, Politico October 1 reports. While Medicare, Medicaid,…
Government shutdown stalls healthcare access, freezes Medicare telehealth, hospital-at-home services
Editor's Note A federal shutdown has halted critical healthcare programs, disrupted Medicare telehealth and hospital-at-home coverage, and escalated partisan conflict over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid, multiple outlets report, including HealthLeaders October 1 and KFF Health News. The budget impasse reportedly is leaving both patients and providers in…
AHA study: HOPD Medicare patients are poorer, sicker, more rural than those seen in physician offices
Editor's Note Medicare patients treated in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) present with greater socioeconomic and clinical complexity than peers seen in independent physician offices, including higher prior emergency department (ED) visits and inpatient use. According to an American Hospital Association (AHA) study conducted by KNG Health Consulting and published on…
AMA urges health systems to act now on AI governance
Editor's Note Artificial intelligence use in healthcare is accelerating, and the American Medical Association (AMA) is pressing health systems to establish clear governance policies before the technology outpaces oversight. Nearly 70% of physicians reported using artificial intelligence tools in 2024, a sharp rise from 38% in 2023, AMA News Wire…
Endoscopy case highlights risks of complex patients in ASCs
Editor's Note A malpractice case involving a 69-year-old man undergoing an endoscopy at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) spotlights the risks of managing high-comorbidity patients outside a hospital setting. According to a May 13 report in Anesthesiology News, the patient experienced a hypoxic event that led to permanent brain injury…
CMS plan to phase out inpatient only list sparks debate over safety for vulnerable patients
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving to eliminate its Inpatient Only (IPO) List over the next 3 years, a decision that could permanently shift more surgical procedures from hospitals to outpatient settings. According to an August 24 article from Fierce Healthcare, the policy promises…
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- CDC layoffs cripple national injury and overdose tracking, leaving prevention efforts in doubt
- The Joint Commission makes nurse staffing a national performance goal for 2026
- Telehealth in limbo: Providers split on continuing Medicare services during shutdown
- States take aim at outpatient facility fees driving higher commercial health costs
- Slower acquisitions, mounting debt reshape Surgery Partners growth outlook
- ASCs surge as hospitals and investors chase outpatient growth
- Nearly half of US physicians now work for large systems: GAO links consolidation to higher costs
- Sustainable surgery can cut costs, reduce emissions, improve care, review finds
- Study: Surgical hospital closures hit vulnerable communities hardest
- Federal pushback on CHAI exposes rifts over who should set healthcare AI rules