Everyone has had bad days at work when they may have felt frustrated, sad, angry, stressed, afraid, nauseated, sick, or overwhelmed. Why do some move from experiencing a terrible day at work to leaving the organization, whereas others pull themselves together? How do we rally from burnout, disappointment, frustration, and…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 9 released a guide for healthcare facilities to resume in-person, non-emergent, non-COVID-19 services in states and regions with no evidence of COVID-19 resurgence. Recommendations include: designating separate areas for COVID-19 care establishing non-COVID-19 care zones where patients can…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 1 unveiled enhanced enforcement actions for nursing homes with violations of infection control practices. The enhanced and targeted accountability actions are based on trends in recent data regarding the incidence of COVID-19 in nursing homes and infection control…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers found that a pediatric adaptation of the adult Medically Necessary Time-Sensitive (MeNTS) risk stratification system was a valuable decision tool that helped them prioritize surgical procedures in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers tested the pediatric MeNTS (pMeNTS) in 101 patients scheduled for…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 27 announced that it will begin to resume some survey and review activities in June, and account executives will be contacting organizations due for a survey. The Joint Commission is reviewing a variety of factors and criteria to help determine where and which…

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Editor's Note More than 28 million elective surgical procedures worldwide will be cancelled or postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study estimates. Researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, collected data from surgeons in 359 hospitals and 71 countries. The data was then statistically modeled to estimate…

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Editor's Note The May 8 Wall Street Journal reports that Atul Gawande, MD, is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of  Haven—the Amazon, JPMorgan, Berkshire Hathaway healthcare venture. Instead Dr Gawande will be chairman of the joint venture so he can focus more on policy and advocacy work, particularly related…

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Although COVID-19 cases are still emerging in many parts of the country, some businesses have reopened and some elective procedures are once again being performed. Many events that did not take place in the spring will be held in the fall, including the annual OR Manager Conference, September 30 to…

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The fast-paced environment in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) requires meticulous handoffs, and daily huddles—brief (10 to 20 minute) stand-up meetings—can raise awareness of any potential safety issues. That has been the experience at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, Iowa, and some of what we learned might help others improve…

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The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented strains on hospitals and healthcare systems, leaving many organizations with limited resources to care for severely ill patients. States, regions, hospitals, and health systems have had to reassess their resources, identify bottlenecks, and develop strategies for increasing critical care capacity. Creating the critical care…

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