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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.

  • Medicare rule may needlessly extend hospital stays

    Medicare's "three-day rule," established in 1965, is outdated and leads to unnecessary days in the hospital, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine. After the rule was reinstated in 2023, the proportion of hospital stays lasting three days or longer increased by more than 1% overall and by more than 5% among patients discharged to rehabilitation facilities. "We found that the rule does not reduce skilled nursing care use among patients who are admitted to the hospital, as was its original purpose, but instead led to longer hospital stays to meet requirement for coverage," said lead researcher Zihan Chen. HealthDay News (2/10) Learn More

  • Hospitals enhance infection control as C. auris cases rise

    Hospitals across the US are strengthening infection control measures as the incidence of multidrug-resistant Candida auris rises, with thousands of cases reported in recent years. Kentucky's UK HealthCare implemented screening and isolation protocols to prevent spread of the fungal infection, which particularly affects individuals with severe medical conditions requiring invasive devices. Lexington Herald-Leader (Ky.) (2/11) Learn More

  • Operating room environment is key factor in SSI prevention

    Surgical site infections tend to originate from the operating room rather than the wound, writes environmental services professional Tommy Davis. He stresses the importance of environmental services, airflow control and coordination with the sterile processing department in preventing SSIs. Davis notes that contemporary practices must integrate objective cleaning verification tools and systems thinking to maintain high standards of cleanliness. Infection Control Today (2/11) Learn More

  • Study links obesity to 25% of infectious disease deaths in US

    A study in The Lancet linked obesity to 1 in 4 deaths from infectious disease in the US and 1 in 10 worldwide. People with obesity had a 70% higher risk of hospitalization or death from infectious diseases, with the risk tripling for those with severe obesity, compared with peers at a healthy weight. HealthDay News (2/11) Learn More

  • Hospital price data used mainly within industry

    Hospitals are posting prices as required by law, but the data is being used primarily by insurers and health systems for contract negotiations instead of by patients shopping for care, say health economist Zack Cooper and Turquoise Health executive Marcus Dorstel. Not all hospitals are in full compliance with the law, available data is not always presented in a user-friendly format, and it's inherently difficult for patients to make like-to-like comparisons. National Public Radio (2/10) Learn More

  • Ultrathin iron bioresorbable scaffold noninferior in PCI

    An investigational ultrathin iron bioresorbable scaffold from Biotyx Medical demonstrated safety and efficacy comparable to metallic drug-eluting stents in a randomized trial involving more than 500 percutaneous coronary intervention patients. The study, published in JACC, showed similar outcomes for mean in-segment late lumen loss, quantitative flow ratios and target lesion failure rates over two years. Researchers note that further study is needed to assess the device's long-term impact. Cardiovascular Business (2/11) Learn More

  • AI assistants can improve patient, clinician experiences

    Integrating AI assistants into health care can enhance the patient experience by providing quick access to information, routing calls to the correct department the first time, helping patients make appointments and reducing wait times. Mayo Clinic's in-house virtual assistant creates patient care, institutional policy and industry summaries for nurses. Advances in intelligent virtual assistants include the ability to understand context and intent, and low latency. HealthTech (2/10) Learn More

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