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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.

  • Hospitalization often increases medication burden

    Hospital stays often lead to increased medication use, and many drugs remain on discharge lists even after their initial necessity has passed. The medication burden frequently begins in the emergency department and accumulates throughout the hospital stay due to multiple handoffs and communication issues. Hospitalists and geriatricians highlight the challenges in reducing this burden, particularly when determining responsibility for discontinuing medications, with Dr. Manisha Grover noting that "effective communication between inpatient and outpatient teams is essential for a safe and seamless transition." Medscape (2/17) Learn More

  • Primary care use linked to less spending for chronic disease

    Consistent access to primary care leads to meaningful reductions in hospitalizations and health care costs for adults with chronic disease, according to the 2026 Primary Care Scorecard. Adults with a regular source of care experienced 20% lower hospitalization rates and incurred 54% lower total costs. Patient Care (2/12) Learn More

  • Study: Highly transmissible S. aureus strains found in NICU

    Whole-genome sequencing has identified highly transmissible strains of Staphylococcus aureus in the neonatal ICU that are linked to severe infections in newborns, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The research revealed extensive transmission of methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant S. aureus, with mean MSSA colonization rates at 25.97% and MRSA at 4.98%. Contemporary Pediatrics (2/16) Learn More

  • Market appears strong for outpatient medical buildings

    Demand for outpatient medical buildings is rising as demographic and economic trends shift health care delivery away from hospitals, according to commercial real estate firms CBRE and JLL. Driven by an aging population and changes in federal policy, outpatient volumes are expected to increase by 8% over the next five years, compared to 1% for inpatient volumes. Construction Dive (2/17) Learn More

  • How hospitals are using smart tech to enhance care

    Health care facilities are increasingly implementing smart technology. UMass Memorial Health's North Pavilion, for example, features 72 smart rooms with digital displays and real-time EHR integration, while OhioHealth's Pickerington Methodist Hospital has 90 smart rooms that include technology for efficient staff-patient communication. "We had to really understand the biggest problems to solve for our health system ... to learn what was not working for them in the current hospital setting and help us imagine what working and receiving care in a smart hospital might look like," said Erika Braun of OhioHealth. HealthTech (2/16) Learn More

  • Advanced IT, clinical trials tied to lower COVID-19 deaths

    A study in the journal npj Health Systems found that counties with hospitals using advanced health IT systems, including advanced EHRs, and participating in clinical trials had lower COVID-19 mortality rates. Hospitals with high IT ratings reduced mortality rates by per capita 75% during the pandemic's first year versus 47% for those with low ratings. Medical Xpress (2/17) Learn More

  • DCM mortality disparities persist despite overall decline

    A study in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure shows that sex and racial disparities are persistent in dilated cardiomyopathy-related mortality in the US, with Black patients and men having the highest age-adjusted mortality rates. The study, which analyzed data from 2004 to 2022, found that overall DCM-related mortality decreased from 4.41 per 100,000 people in 2004 to 1.98 in 2019, with a small increase to 2.22 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional disparities have shifted, with midwestern and southern states showing improvement compared to the West. Cardiology Advisor (2/18) Learn More

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