Editor's Note Change Healthcare is responsible for notifying affected parties about privacy breaches resulting from the February cyberattack on the company, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced May 31. The announcement took the form of an update to an FAQ webpage from HHS’ Office for Civil…
Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI) threatens patient safety by undermining the judgment of human nurses, according to a survey by National Nurses United (NNU). “The findings, coupled with anecdotal reports from nurses at hospitals nationwide, underscore the urgent need for stricter regulation and greater input from nurses and health care…
More than 4 years after personal protective equipment production and inventories crashed amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, the “new normal” in healthcare supply chains seems to be “uncertainty.” Although hospital margins are improving and patient volumes are trending upward, “stress fractures continue to remain in place,” says Michael Schiller, CMRP,…
Editor's Note A joint letter from the American Medical Association (AMA) and more than 100 medical organizations asks Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to confirm that providers do not bear responsibility for legal reporting requirements for information stolen in the Change Healthcare cyberattack, including personal patient data.…
Editor's Note A $50 million initiative to develop cybersecurity tools for hospitals aims to protect providers and patients alike from ransomware, according to a May 20 report in Becker’s Health IT. The Universal PatchinG and Remediation for Autonomous DEfense, or UPGRADE, program was launched the same day by the Advanced Research…
Editor's Note According to the annual Sentinel Event Data Report, The Joint Commission received 1,411 reports of sentinel events—an event not related to the natural course of an illness or condition that causes severe harm, permanent harm or death—in 2023. Of that total, 96% of events were voluntary self-reported by…
Editor's Note Most nurses think this year will be “no better or worse” than last year, and more than one-third are “extremely likely” to change jobs, according to a national survey by Texas healthcare workforce solutions company AMN Healthcare. Fox News reported on the findings May 10. Specifically, 80% of…
Editor's Note The 2024 Nurse Salary and Work-Life Report, a biennial survey from nurse.com, asked participants for the first time this year about workplace violence and how work affects their mental health and wellness. According to an April 9 press release, 64% reported verbal abuse and 23% reported physical assault…
Editor's Note Have you noticed anything different about your home city’s skyline this week? In honor of National Nurses Week, buildings and landmarks across the country are lighting up in support of what Gallup has ranked for more than 20 years as the country’s most trusted profession. The force behind…
Anyone doubting the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) in the healthcare setting need only search online for “injuries to healthcare workers.” In a sector rife with occupational hazards—from slips and falls to sharps injuries and infections—a significant portion of the links are sure to mention WPV, with many even focusing…