Uncategorized Editor's Note Though emergency department (ED) visits and hospital discharges by uninsured patients decreased after implementation of the Affordable Care Act, 1 in 10 ED visits and 1 in 20 hospital discharges were still made by uninsured patients from 2014 to 2016, this study finds. There were 1.4 million…
Editor's Note US hospitals added 8,300 jobs in April to a seasonally adjusted 5,229,200, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on May 3. That’s up 105,700 more employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment has increased 403,500 in the past year. The overall unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in April…
Editor's Note Patients with diabetes who had low blood glucose values during the last day of hospitalization had higher rates of 30-day readmission and post discharge mortality, this study finds. Examining 843,978 admissions to the VA health care system over a 14-year period, researchers found that patients with diabetes who…
Editor's Note The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on April 26 announced it is lowering the maximum civil penalty for healthcare providers, health plans, and business associates who violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), based on the level of culpability. A 2013 rule created four…
Editor's Note Education and monitoring of hand hygiene among anesthesia providers in the OR improved hand hygiene compliance in this study from the Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, North Carolina. Anesthesia providers were educated on the World Health Organization’s five indications for hand hygiene, and their access to hand…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 23 issued a new draft guidance to help manufacturers avoid delays in preparing, planning, and executing voluntary recalls. The guidance includes recommendations in three areas: proper training of personnel thorough and organized record keeping written recall initiation procedures. The guidance…
Editor's Note The off-label use of defoaming agents, lubricants, and tissue glue is common, and these insoluable substances are not removed during reprocessing, this study finds. Of 69 fully reprocessed endoscopes examined in four hospitals, microbial cultures were positive for 50% or more. The researchers, led by Cori Ofstead, MSPH,…
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on April 16 announced it is considering additional regulatory actions, including consulting with federal health experts for guidance, to reduce the risks of contamination and infections associated with duodenoscopes. The FDA is also working with manufacturers of disposable duodenoscopes that would make reprocessing…
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recent changes to its Hospital Readmission Reduction Program resulted in a drop in readmission fines for academic, safety-net, and rural hospitals, this study finds. This analysis of 3,049 hospitals found that because of policy changes that now separate hospitals into…
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on April 12 announced that it is taking steps to implement additional regulatory actions, including consulting with federal health experts, on how to reduce the risks of contamination and infections linked to duodenoscopes. The agency is also collaborating with manufacturers of disposable…
