Periop Pulse 
Count discrepancies of surgical items, commonly known as “miscounts,” have been reported since 1882, and they continue to occur despite implementation of professional guidelines for preventative strategies. The stakes remain high, as miscounts can lead to patient harm, increased costs for both patients and facilities, and reputational damage for facilities…
Medical device vendor Boston Scientific announced that it has “identified a cybersecurity incident affecting certain information technology systems that resulted in a network outage and disruption to the company’s operations.” It stated that it immediately activated incident response protocols and “began an investigation to assess and contain the threat with…
A new report jointly published by KFF Health News and NPR takes a closer look at how “violence against healthcare workers and staffing shortages” are fueling hospital strikes. Some takeaways from the story: “The prevalence of workplace violence in healthcare has fueled strikes in states such as Louisiana, New York,…
A new report in Delaware Business Now dives deeply into what the media outlet describes as a “turf war” between two of the state’s health systems for preeminence in the southern part of The First State. Wilmington-based ChristianaCare dominates more populous northern Delaware, while the incumbent health system in more rural…
The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) has launched a patient education resource called Anesthesia Answers, which it states was created by certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and nurse anesthesiologists to “help patients and their families navigate one of healthcare's most misunderstood topics: anesthesia.” Available at AnesthesiaAnswers.org, it addresses common…
The University of Colorado Anschutz (CU Anschutz) has published an article that describes how its team of hospitalists is partnering with surgeons to make the patient experience and process for major procedures “easier, safer, and more accessible.” The Medicine Consult Service is a service line within the Division of Hospital…
Responding to the reported medication errors that harmed patients who were undergoing joint replacement surgeries at a Nashville hospital, the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP), the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Friday “reaffirmed that spinal anesthesia remains a safe and essential…
A devastating medication error that impacted four surgical patients at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown in Nashville, Tenn., received a large amount of mainstream media attention over the last week—reminding perioperative leaders of the critical importance of medication safety protocols. CBS News affiliate WTVF-TV reported that “at least four people went…
According to reporting from Healthcare Dive and numerous other news organizations, Providence Health Plan, the insurance division of Pacific Northwest health system Providence, will close completely after talks with an unnamed national insurer to keep its Medicare Advantage plans afloat failed. In May, we reported that Providence Health Plan would…
Cleveland Clinic this week promoted a study by its researchers that found that reducing air turnover in unoccupied ORs “can significantly decrease electricity use and costs without negatively affecting clinical outcomes,” including “no association with increased surgical site infection, mortality or ICU admission. The study was the subject of a…
