September/October 2023 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control
ON THE COVER
CMS to reward hospitals for high-quality, equitable care
CMS will increase payments to hospitals for treating homeless patients and implementing equitable quality measures aimed at reducing preventable harm, the agency said Aug. 1.
White House unveils precision surgery program
The White House is launching a program to help surgeons remove cancerous tumors more accurately to improve patient outcomes.
Which HCAHPS measures fell most during pandemic
HCAHPS measures assessing hospital staff's responsiveness and hospital cleanliness fell the most during the pandemic as hospitals grappled with severe staffing shortages, according to a study published Aug. 25 in JAMA Health Forum.
The most dangerous places to work in healthcare
Two of the 10 most dangerous job sectors in America belong to the healthcare industry.
States take on 'doctor' title debate
Several states are taking on the debate of whether to prevent nonphysicians from using the doctor title, but nurse practitioners with doctorates are pushing back, The Washington Post reported Aug. 20.
Nurses just want to be nurses again: ANA leader
In most cases, "just a nurse" isn't a welcomed phrase. But quite literally, today's nurses want to get back to a place where they can actually focus on being nurses and providing patient care instead of being an "organizational sponge" that absorbs what often seems like an infinite number of tasks, Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, RN, wrote in an Aug. 3 opinion piece published in nurse.org.
Hospitals enter uncharted territory on masking
This fall will mark the first virus season since COVID-19 emerged in which hospitals and health systems must independently determine when and how to implement universal masking, if at all.
The 'meta-dehumanization' of first responders
Healthcare's first responders are often hailed as "heroes." This classification could be contributing to higher burnout rates, according to a recent study.
'We can no longer simply increase wages': What health systems are doing instead for retention
The national healthcare staffing shortage has inflated wages and increased competition for talented nurses and clinical support staff. For a while, hospitals' main retention strategy was increased wages; that's changing as nurses feel more comfortable with their pay and have begun to value other qualities in a workplace.
Physicians should 'think fungus' amid rising infections, CDC expert says
Fungal infections have been on the rise since COVID-19's inception, but public health tracking tools, tests, and data systems in the U.S. are not quite where they need to be yet, Tom Chiller, MD, CDC's head of mycotic diseases, told Becker's.
'I never said no to an opportunity': MetroHealth's chief nursing officer on change
Melissa Kline, DNP, RN, did not intend to go into leadership when she started as a staff nurse at Cleveland-based MetroHealth. But over the last 20 years, she realized leadership is where she belonged.
The crossover potential of nursing and pharmacy work
When Gina Batterman, RN, was pursuing her nursing degree with the goal of working in pharmacy, her professors thought she was crazy.
Where are all the med-surg nurses?
St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare hoped to see more nurses go into medical-surgical once the COVID-19 pandemic died down and competitive pay rates for travel assignments in critical care and emergency departments stabilized. That hasn't happened. More than 70 percent of the system's agency dollars are currently being spent on nurses to work in med-surg units, Tommye Austin, PhD, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive at the health system, told Becker's.
INFECTION CONTROL
Hospitals enter uncharted territory on masking
This fall will mark the first virus season since COVID-19 emerged in which hospitals and health systems must independently determine when and how to implement universal masking, if at all.
US physicians worried about enterovirus flare-ups
As bundles of severe echovirus infections pop up in at least three countries, U.S. infectious diseases experts are seeing a small increase in enterovirus cases, especially among children, NBC News reported July 6.
Why medical professionals disagree on when the next pandemic will be
Thirty-eight percent of medical professionals told Becker's they believe the next pandemic may be less than five years away, according to the results of a June LinkedIn poll. Thirty-six percent said it could be more than 10 years away.
CDC's new flu shot guidelines: 1 key change to know
The CDC updated its annual flu shot recommendations Aug. 23, with experts noting one key change: People with egg allergies can now get any flu vaccine, egg-based or non-egg based.
What does heat have to do with COVID-19?
It's a good question.
PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES
NYU Langone physicians see success with transplantation of pig kidney in human body
The scramble to find kidneys for transplants or the long waits on a list amid a usable organ shortage could come to an end in the future. The use of gene-edited pig kidneys could vastly increase supply and help meet life-saving demand for patients, Robert Montgomery, MD, PhD, the director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute explained during an Aug. 16 press conference.
Maryland system's new partnership to improve outcomes for emergency trauma patients
Every passing minute matters for patients in need of emergency blood transfusions and now Maryland's first responders in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore will carry whole blood on board for air-lifted patients, according to an Aug. 22 news release.
AdventHealth hospital cited for inadequate patient complaints process
AdventHealth in Hendersonville, N.C., received a citation after a behavioral health patient was not allowed to speak to a patient advocate, Citizen Times reported Aug. 9.
CMS to reward hospitals for high-quality, equitable care
CMS will increase payments to hospitals for treating homeless patients and implementing equitable quality measures aimed at reducing preventable harm, the agency said Aug. 1.
White House unveils precision surgery program
The White House is launching a program to help surgeons remove cancerous tumors more accurately to improve patient outcomes.
PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE
Which HCAHPS measures fell most during pandemic
HCAHPS measures assessing hospital staff's responsiveness and hospital cleanliness fell the most during the pandemic as hospitals grappled with severe staffing shortages, according to a study published Aug. 25 in JAMA Health Forum.
The 'meta-dehumanization' of first responders
Healthcare's first responders are often hailed as "heroes." This classification could be contributing to higher burnout rates, according to a recent study.
Top healthcare organizations for patient experience in 2023
NRC Health has identified 12 health systems, hospitals and medical groups that go above and beyond to provide excellence in patient experience, the healthcare data firm said Aug. 8.
The most dangerous places to work in healthcare
Two of the 10 most dangerous job sectors in America belong to the healthcare industry.
'We can no longer simply increase wages': What health systems are doing instead for retention
The national healthcare staffing shortage has inflated wages and increased competition for talented nurses and clinical support staff. For a while, hospitals' main retention strategy was increased wages; that's changing as nurses feel more comfortable with their pay and have begun to value other qualities in a workplace.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT
Physicians should 'think fungus' amid rising infections, CDC expert says
Fungal infections have been on the rise since COVID-19's inception, but public health tracking tools, tests, and data systems in the U.S. are not quite where they need to be yet, Tom Chiller, MD, CDC's head of mycotic diseases, told Becker's.
Nurses urge CDC to bolster infection control rules
Nurses are calling on the CDC to strengthen its infection control guidance for hospitals, which has not seen revisions for 16 years, because of concerns the agency might state surgical masks are equal to N95s in infection control measures.
Antibiotic resistance is more common in infections with mixed strains, study finds
Antibiotic resistance may be even more likely for patients infected with mixed strain pathogens, according to a report published July 12 in Nature.
Calls grow for national patient safety board: 3 leaders weigh in
Increasing adverse events, hospital-associated infections, and other harm to patients have compounded and now fuel the call for the formation of a national patient safety board. But, with so many established health entities already within the government, will adding one create more complexities than it will oversight?
1 in 5 women report mistreatment during maternity care: CDC
Twenty percent of women reported experiencing mistreatment during pregnancy and delivery care, a new CDC report found.
NURSING SPOTLIGHT
'I never said no to an opportunity': MetroHealth's chief nursing officer on change
Melissa Kline, DNP, RN, did not intend to go into leadership when she started as a staff nurse at Cleveland-based MetroHealth. But over the last 20 years, she realized leadership is where she belonged.
All nurses laid off at more than 100 Optum-owned clinics
A chain of urgent care clinics owned by UnitedHealth Group's Optum is laying off all nursing positions nationwide.
The crossover potential of nursing and pharmacy work
When Gina Batterman, RN, was pursuing her nursing degree with the goal of working in pharmacy, her professors thought she was crazy.
Where are all the med-surg nurses?
St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare hoped to see more nurses go into medical-surgical once the COVID-19 pandemic died down and competitive pay rates for travel assignments in critical care and emergency departments stabilized. That hasn't happened. More than 70 percent of the system's agency dollars are currently being spent on nurses to work in med-surg units, Tommye Austin, PhD, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive at the health system, told Becker's.
States take on 'doctor' title debate
Several states are taking on the debate of whether to prevent nonphysicians from using the doctor title, but nurse practitioners with doctorates are pushing back, The Washington Post reported Aug. 20.