Emergency Preparedness: Expect the Unexpected
While domestic numbers of the virus are still low, the situation serves as a reminder that hospitals and health systems need to be prepared for whatever virus, outbreak, disaster, or emergency event comes their way.
WHO Declares Wuhan Coronavirus a Public Health Emergency
The CDC confirmed that 2019-nCoV has spread between two people in the U.S. The latest patient is an Illinois resident with no history of travel to Wuhan, but shared a household with a patient diagnosed with the virus on January 21.
Open Communication Softens Impact of Medical Errors on Patients and Families
The study features survey and interview data collected from 253 Massachusetts adults who had experienced a medical error personally or through a family member. Open communication was defined with six elements, including acknowledgment of the error, whether the error was discussed openly and truthfully, and whether the error was discussed in terms that were easily understood.
Use Past Experience With MERS, Ebola to Prep for Latest Coronavirus
The new virus has been compared to MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. The CDC says the process for evaluation and the PUI form to report suspected cases remains unchanged from the ones used with MERS-CoV, which was the virus of concern in 2015.
Cardinal Health Announces Recall for 9.1M Surgical Gowns
An investigation by the Dublin, Ohio-based medical supplier determined that some gowns were produced in unapproved locations with improper environmental conditions, were not registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and did not pass Cardinal Health standards.
CDC: First Case of Wuhan Coronavirus Confirmed in U.S.
The patient is a Washington resident who returned to the U.S. from China on January 15 and sought care at a medical facility in Washington. Based on the patient’s travel history and symptoms, healthcare professionals suspected the new coronavirus. A specimen was collected and sent to the CDC, where laboratory testing confirmed the diagnosis. The CDC said it has been preparing for the U.S. arrival of 2019-nCoV for weeks, including:
Data Analytics Utilization ‘Negligible’ Among 80% of Healthcare Orgs
The research found that 95% of hospitals and physician group executives have access to data analytics applications, up 32% since 2016, but most don’t utilize these decision-making tools. Eighty-four percent of C-suite officers at provider organizations reported that the only used data analytics to a “limited or minimal extent.”
OSHA Raises Its Civil Penalties for 2020 by Nearly 2%
For a willful violation, in which an employer knowingly failed to comply with an OSHA standard or demonstrated a plain indifference for employee safety, the minimum penalty increases from $9,472 to $9,639 and the maximum penalty increases from $132,598 to $134,937;
Target Long-Term Emergency Room Frequent Users to Curb Visits and Cut Costs
The recent research article, which was published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, identified four subgroups of ED frequent users: short-term, heart-related, long-term, and minor care. Frequent ED users were defined as making at least four emergency room visits in a year-long period.
Medicaid Expansion Linked to Fewer Opioid Deaths
Researchers NYU Grossman School of Medicine and University of California, Davis, analyzed cause-of-death data from the National Vital Statistics System from 3,109 counties nationwide between 2001 and 2017.