Editor's Note A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore health-related webpages and datasets removed under a January executive order, according to a July 29 article in Medscape. The ruling follows a lawsuit by Doctors for America and the city and county of San Francisco, which argued that…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission has launched a new strategy to revise its accreditation and certification programs to better reflect the distinct needs of pediatric care. According to a July 29 announcement, the effort responds to requests from the children’s health community and aims to revise or remove standards that…
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated the recall of Ethicon Endo-Surgery, LLC’s Endopath Echelon Vascular White Reload for Advanced Placement Tip a Class I, the most severe category indicating risk of serious injury or death. As detailed in the agency’s July 25 announcement, the recall…
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated a Class I recall—the most severe category indicating risk of serious injury or death—for several models of arterial cannulae manufactured by Edwards Lifesciences. Affected products include OptiSite Arterial Perfusion Cannula models OPTI16 and OPTI18, as well as Peripheral Femoral…
Editor’s Note: This page is a companion piece to the main article, Proper planning prevents OR construction, renovation cost creep. It brings together four focused updates on OR and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) construction and renovation: Regulatory shifts: The Joint Commission's updated safety and sustainability requirements for hospitals and ASCs, including new…
Editor's Note The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a major initiative to reform the US organ transplant system following disturbing findings about organ procurement practices. Fierce Healthcare reported the news July 21. According to the article, the initiative was triggered by a directive from HHS to…
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration has designated SunMed Holdings, LLC’s recall of the Adult Manual Resuscitator with Medium Adult Mask, Bag Reservoir, Filter, Manometer and 7 ft Oxygen Tubing as Class I, the most severe category indicating serious risk of injury or death. The recall is due…
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a 3.62% increase to the 2026 Medicare physician fee schedule, according to a July 14 article in Fierce Healthcare. The proposed rule sets the conversion factor at $33.42, up from $32.35 in 2025. The increase reflects a 2.5%…
Editor's Note President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” could trigger more than $500 billion in Medicare cuts over the next decade unless Congress waives automatic spending rules, according to a July 9 article in Modern Healthcare. As detailed in the article, the legislation’s projected $3.4 trillion increase to the…
Editor's Note Sentinel events reported to The Joint Commission increased by 12% in 2024, with patient falls once again leading the list of serious adverse events followed by wrong surgeries. The Joint Commission released the data in an annual review July 9. Wrong surgery events increased 13% from the…