Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have impaired brain function and were found to perform worse on cognitive, psychiatric and neurological tests overall, according to a study published Dec. 28 in JAMA.

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health has cut its sepsis infection rates in half amid mounting pressures from the Biden administration for U.S. hospitals to do more to reduce sepsis deaths — which account for about 270,000 deaths annually.

When patients are colonized with Candida auris, contamination of their surrounding environments can happen within just a few hours, according to the results of a new study. 

CDC data shows new COVID-19 hospitalizations increased for the sixth week straight, with nearly 26,000 admissions reported for the week ending Dec. 16. 

The omicron subvariant JN.1 has been identified in at least 37 states and the District of Columbia as of Dec. 18, according to outbreak.info, a platform that tracks data on COVID-19 variants and is supported by the CDC and other national research groups.

Under the care of physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a woman with a double uterus gave birth to two baby girls in December.

Pediatric cases of respiratory syncytial virus led to more emergency hospitalizations than the omicron variant of COVID-19 and influenza, according to a study published Dec. 26 in JAMA.

Many of the struggles that strained the nursing profession in years prior continued to do so in 2023, perhaps unsurprisingly to some. Multiple surveys on the profession this year highlighted continued staffing issues, burnout, nurses wanting to leave the profession, lacking feelings of support from hospitals and a range of other issues.

Peter Paige, MD, became UVA Health's inaugural chief clinical officer Dec. 11, marking a departure from his most recent role as the CEO of Albany (N.Y.) Medical Health System.

Outpatient visits for respiratory illnesses have risen for the seventh week in a row, according to the CDC. COVID-19, flu and RSV hospitalizations are also up across the country. 

A combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, physician shortages, and delays to receive in-person care have led to the boom of subscription-style healthcare services that promise a fast review of symptoms and streamlined ordering of prescriptions. But experts are questioning if this is truly the answer medicine needs, according to CBS News.

Heading into the week of Christmas, new hospitalizations and emergency department visits for respiratory viruses continued to rise nationwide. 

Hospitals that are purchased by private equity-backed companies are less safe for patients, a new study led by Harvard Medical School found.

Patients treated at hospitals acquired by private equity firms are more likely to develop hospital-acquired conditions, according to a new study published in JAMA Dec. 26. 

First detected in September, the latest COVID-19 variant to emerge, JN.1, has rapidly spread and now accounts for 44.1% of cases in the U.S., according to CDC data.

A shooting in a Virginia hospital on Dec. 22 ended with two people injured and one suspect charged, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. 

When Michael Ugwueke, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, realized his community of Memphis was ranked as the second heaviest city in the U.S., he decided to take action.

Outpatient visits for flu-like illness continue to rise as flu activity increases in most parts of the country, according to the CDC's Dec. 22 FluView report.

A community engagement program at Montefiore isn't like the others: Rather than lecturing information to its neighbors, the New York City-based system nurtures relationships with local influencers to quell distrust in healthcare. 

New York health officials are looking into allegations that NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue has allowed unlicensed equipment technicians to scrub in for bariatric surgeries, The New York Times reported Dec. 21.