National hospital safety rankings reflect infection prevention, patient experience improvements
Editor's Note Released May 1, the most recent Leapfrog Group hospital patient safety grades reflect declines in preventable healthcare-associated infections and improvements in patient’s hospital experiences since fall 2023. Leapfrog, a nonprofit, releases its Hospital Safety Grades report biannually, assigning traditional letter grades to nearly 3,000 general hospitals based on…
Getting ready for the OAS CAHPS Survey 2025 requirement
Editor's Note Starting in 2025, Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) will be required to participate in the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey to comply with the ASC Quality Reporting Program, reports the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) and Outpatient Surgery Magazine…
Federal regulations require written consent for pelvic exams at hospitals, medical schools
Editor's Note New federal guidelines require obtaining written informed consent before conducting pelvic and other sensitive medical examinations, according to an April 2 Associated Press report. The new guidance from the US Department of Health and Human Services focuses specifically on medical students, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants performing breast,…
Healthcare safety report: Outcomes improving, but workplace violence persists
Editor's Note Healthcare safety is moving in the right direction generally, but low perceptions of safety and rising reports of violence against nurses represent critical gaps that leaders should address, according to an April 2 press release on Press Ganey’s “Safety in Healthcare 2024” report. Focused on event reporting, workforce…
Anesthesiologists push to improve pain control during caesarean delivery
Editor's Note A letter to the editor published April 10 in Anesthesiology, the official publication of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), calls attention to an official statement outlining best practices for ensuring all moms-to-be receive adequate pain management during planned or unexpected C-sections. The best practices are outlined in…
Patient survey: Excessive needlesticks during hospital visits impede workflow
Editor's Note A new survey finds that hospital patients receive more needlesticks than necessary, negatively impacting their experience and contributing to workflow issues. The survey was published March 27 by medical technology company BD and conducted by the Harris Poll. More than 1 in 10 (11%) of 2,006 surveyed adults, including…
Private payers profit by delaying medical claims
Editor's Note Private payers initially deny reimbursement on 15% of claims, only to later approve more than half of those initial denials, according to a national survey of healthcare institutions published March 21 by Premiere, Inc. Additionally, the denied claims on average tend to be more prevalent for higher-cost treatments…
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy could benefit patients with normal ejection fraction
Editor's Note Patients with biliary symptoms can benefit from laparoscopic cholecystectomy even with a normal ejection fraction (greater than 35%), according to a study published November 30 in the American Journal of Surgery. Although previous data have shown the surgery to improve biliary symptoms (such as abdominal pain) in patients…
New hope for Black kidney disease patients awaiting organ transplants
Editor's Note A standard kidney function test has been underestimating the seriousness of disease in Black patients, delaying their eligibility for transplants, The Associated Press reported March 31. Now, that test is changing – and Black patients awaiting kidneys are moving up the list. Among other factors, transplant eligibility is…
Donor hearts denied more often to male, black male transplant candidates
Editor's Note New research shows transplant center teams are more to likely reject offers of donor hearts to black men and men than black women and white women, MedPage Today reported on March 25. “The cumulative probability of a donor heart being accepted by the transplant center team was most…
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