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Cardiovascular Quality and Research News

ACC CV Quality SmartBrief

The ACC CV Quality SmartBrief eNewsletter is a free, twice-weekly briefing for health care stakeholders interested in quality care. Learn more about the ACC CV Quality SmartBrief and subscribe.

  • Weekly COVID-19 mortality reaches 3-year low in US

    The US recorded 1,706 COVID-19 deaths for the week ending March 15, the lowest weekly death toll since March 25, 2020, according to the CDC. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations also continue to drop nationwide, with weekly infections falling to the lowest level in more than a year and a half, though experts say the figures are probably significantly higher given widespread use of home tests. U.S. News & World Report (3/20) Learn More

  • Programs incentivize hospitals to control infection

    The Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program were established to provide financial motivation for acute care facilities to control hospital-acquired infections, and their activity was temporarily suspended by CMS once the COVID-19 pandemic began, but the programs are in force once again. Alice Brewer, senior director of clinical affairs for PDI, said hospitals are penalized financially if they don't meet program standards, but that can provide infection prevention professionals with a "business case for introducing a new intervention and introducing new products." Infection Control Today (3/22) Learn More

  • Solving physician burnout starts with work environment

    Health care leaders participating in an American Medical Association webinar shared different ways to address the ongoing issue of physician burnout, noting that first steps include improving the workplace environment and allowing clinicians to focus more on patient care and less on administrative tasks. Christine Sinsky of the AMA noted that since nearly two-thirds of physicians say they are fighting burnout it "can't possibly be related to individual weakness on the part of physicians." Contemporary OB/GYN (3/13) Learn More

  • Data show pediatric care access declining in the US

    Access to pediatric inpatient care is on a downward trend in the US, with factors including a rise in child mental health hospitalizations, ongoing staffing shortages and Medicaid reimbursement changes. Children often have to wait hours for an inpatient bed, availability is particularly strained at facilities in rural areas, and February's percentage of occupied pediatric beds nationwide was higher than at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. CNN (3/16) Learn More

  • Minn. nurses hope new legislation will help staff shortage

    The Minnesota Nurses Association, a union for nurses in the state, says the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act under consideration in the Legislature could make a significant difference in hospital staff shortages. The bill would establish committees of frontline staff and management members who would determine safe staffing levels by hospital and by unit, and they would set a limit on the number of individuals one nurse can care for at a time, and any disputes would be handled via arbitration. WCCO-TV (Minneapolis) (3/19) Learn More

  • PFA may be safer option for some Afib patients

    Pulsed-field ablation may be a safer choice than cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation for patients with atrial fibrillation, and the PFA technology is expected to replace current methods eventually, according to researchers presenting results of the PULSED-AF trial at ACC.23/WCC. The newer method applies short electrical pulses to cardiac tissue that result in pores in myocytes' cellular walls, causing cell death without the need for excess cold or heat that can be detrimental to healthy tissue. Cardiovascular Business (3/22) Learn More

  • PET/CT identifies CV manifestations in IgG4-RD

    F-18 FDG-PET/CT imaging may help show cardiovascular manifestations in patients with immunoglobulin G4-related disease, researchers reported in a nuclear medicine journal. F-18 FDG-PET/CT scans helped identify organ site involvement and lesions in the pericardium, coronary arteries and other vessels. AuntMinnie (free registration) (3/22) Learn More

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