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ACC CV Quality SmartBrief

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  • CDC: Flu deaths reach 21,000 with severe pediatric impact

    Flu activity remains high, with CDC estimates indicating at least 21,000 deaths and 340,000 hospitalizations so far this season. Pediatric populations are particularly affected, with 90 pediatric deaths reported, mostly among the unvaccinated. Influenza A activity is declining while influenza B is rising. Infectious Disease Special Edition (free registration) (3/11) Learn More

  • Clinician safety is crucial for patient care

    Health care organizations must prioritize clinician safety to enhance patient care, Andrea Greco of Centegix writes, citing research from the Journal of Nursing Care Quality and the journal Health Policy. Burnout, which often results from workplace violence and psychological harm, significantly contributes to unsafe practices and less effective patient care, Greco writes. MedCity News (3/11) Learn More

  • RSV can be common, severe in children under age 2

    A study in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases found respiratory syncytial virus was the second most common pathogen among children younger than age 2, with 19.7% of children in Germany with at least one symptom of a lower respiratory tract infection testing positive. Children with RSV had higher rates of disease severity, wheezing, crackles and tachypnea. Having preschool-aged siblings or atopic eczema was associated with increased rates of positive tests for RSV. Medscape (3/9) Learn More

  • Report: Hospital expenses are climbing

    A report from the American Hospital Association found that hospital expenses rose at more than twice the rate that prices did last year. Drug expenses rose 13.6%, and spending on medical supplies increased 9.9%, according to the study. Workforce costs rose by 5.6%. The report also noted that facilities spent $43 billion on administrative tasks related to payment collection. Becker's Hospital Review (3/11) Learn More

  • CDI, UR team collaboration can improve hospital operations

    Clinical documentation integrity and utilization review teams can improve hospital reimbursement by working together to identify and close documentation gaps. Examples of opportunities for collaboration include denied claims with unresolved CDI queries, cases with both a CDI query and UR screening, peer-to-peer reviews, and short lengths of stay with clinical validation denials. ICD10Monitor (3/9) Learn More

  • Report: Hospital concentration high in rural states

    All hospitals in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming operate in highly concentrated markets, partly due to the large rural populations in those states, according to Yale's Health Care Affordability Lab. Maine and Montana also report high levels of hospital market concentration. Hospital consolidation has been a driver of rising health care costs, with about 1,300 mergers occurring over the past two decades. Axios (3/9) Learn More

  • J&J unit shares data on new IVL catheter

    Shockwave Medical, a Johnson & Johnson MedTech company, released early data on a new intravascular lithotripsy catheter that delivers treatments to coronary arteries twice as fast as current models. The catheter, which delivers 10 pulses in 5 seconds, showed a 98.6% procedural success rate and a 97.9% safety rate in a study involving 145 patients. Findings were published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. Cardiovascular Business (3/11) Learn More

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