Uncategorized Editor's Note The Joint Commission and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have been collaborating since late 2015 on a 3-year project titled, “Adaptation & Dissemination of Outpatient Infection Prevention (ADOPT).” The goal of the project is to adapt, enhance, and disseminated current CDC guidance on infection prevention and…
Editor's Note A Healthcare Market Reports analysis predicts the minimally invasive spine surgery market will see a compound annual growth rate of 7.57% through 2020, the January 4 Becker’s Spine Review reports. The increasing incidence of spinal disorders is boosting the market, and a key market trend is the minimally…
Editor's Note ECRI Institute on December 12 issued its list of Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2018. The list, which is available for free (registration required), identifies sources of technology dangers or difficulties and details steps to minimize the occurrence of adverse events. Topping the list is ransomware and…
Editor's Note Hospitals with the largest reductions in serious complications after bariatric surgery had the greatest decrease in per-patient Medicare payments, this study finds. Analyzing 37,329 Medicare patients undergoing bariatric surgery from 2005 to 2006 and 2013 to 2014, researchers found a strong association between reductions in complications and decreased…
Editor's Note Under a bill approved unanimously December 5 by the Florida Senate Health Policy Committee, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) could treat patients overnight, the December 6 WUSF News reports. Before approving the bill (SB 250), sponsored by Sen Greg Steube (R-Sarasota), the committee agreed to an amendment requiring the…
Editor's Note Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, issued a statement December 4 on the FDA’s final guidance on medical device additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. The FDA has reviewed more than 100 devices currently on the market that were manufactured on 3D printers, including…
Editor's Note Increasing OR ventilation rates to improve outcomes and reduce surgical site infections did not provide cleaner air but did increase operating costs in this study. Air quality was measured at different ventilation rates in three ORs. Increasing air change rates did not provide an overall cleaner environment. Significant…
Editor's Note November 30 is the deadline for critical access hospitals that did not achieve meaningful use for the 2016 reporting period to submit hardship forms to avoid a 2018 payment adjustment, the November 27 AHA News Now reports. Inpatient prospective payment system hospitals that did not achieve meaningful use…
Editor's Note A study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association found that some electronic health record (EHR) vendors consistently outperform others, the November 27 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Epic had the highest performance on five of six meaningful use (MU) stage 2 criteria, including view, download, and…
Editor's Note The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) decreased readmissions for targeted procedures, but no association was found for nontargeted procedures in this study. This analysis of 672,135 Medicare patients treated at 2,773 hospitals included 507,663 patients who had total knee or hip arthroplasty procedures (targeted) and 164, 472 who…
