Hospital-at-Home Program Slated to Start Next Month at UMass Memorial Health
The technology backbone of UMass Memorial Health’s Hospital at Home program, provided by Current Health, will provide real-time insight into patient health and coordinating in-home clinical care and services. Current Health will enroll UMass Memorial Health patients eligible for the program through Current Health’s platform and configure everything patients need to remotely engage with their care teams, including monitoring equipment, in-home connectivity, and a tablet for chat and video communication.
Nurses Urge CDC to Reinstate Universal Masking
Noting that the “COVID-19 pandemic is far from over,” with most states seeing increasing cases, National Nurses United (NNU) sent a letter Monday to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asking the agency to once again recommend that masks be worn in public to reduce the increasing spread of the virus.
OIG Cites CMS for Poor Risk Assessments
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently investigated The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to check whether the agency, which oversees patient safety at hundreds of U.S. hospitals, considers national security as part of its enterprise risk management (ERM) process.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 32 – How to Transform the Patient-Physician Journey
On episode 32 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Barry Chaiken, clinical lead for Tableau, talks about how information technology can help solve healthcare’s biggest problems.
University Hospitals Exec: ‘Healthcare Is Riddled With Mindless Variation’
HealthLeaders interviewed Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, recently to discuss a range of topics, including checklists, value-based care, workforce safety, and his vision for telehealth after the coronavirus pandemic has passed. The following is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation.
DNV to Return to Unannounced Surveys September 7
DNV Healthcare-accredited hospitals, critical access hospitals, and psychiatric hospitals should be aware that the accreditation organization is returning to unannounced, onsite surveys as of September 7.
More OSHA Scrutiny on Healthcare Organizations, Expanded Whistleblower Protections
In March, OSHA issued its Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The updates extend existing OSHA protections for workplace safety whistleblowers, explicitly stating those protections apply to those who report COVID-19 related violations at the workplace by creating a National Emphasis Program (NEP).
FDA Updates Recommendations on Reprocessing of Flexible Bronchoscopes
The FDA has issued new guidance on reprocessing flexible bronchoscopes that recommends using disposable versions of the device if there is increased risk of spreading infection or when reusable versions cannot be reprocessed.
OIG: Medicare Lacks Cybersecurity Oversight for Hospital-Based Networked Medical Devices
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report last week finding that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) survey protocol does not include requirements for networked device cybersecurity.
Coronavirus Pandemic Discouraging Academic Medical Center Faculty, Study Finds
The recent research article, which was published by JAMA Network Open, features survey data collected from more than 1,000 medical, graduate, and health professional school faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. The survey was conducted in September 2020.