Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Spreading Far Beyond Hospitals, Study Finds
CIDRAP: CDC Study Highlights Community Spread Of Superbugs
New US surveillance data indicates infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens are moving beyond the healthcare setting. In a study published last week in the American Journal of Infection Control, researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and eight US public health departments reported that 1 in 10 infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) were community-associated, occurring in patients without the known healthcare risks—like hospitalization or stays in long-term care facilities—typically associated with CRE infections. Most were found in white women with urinary tract infections (UTIs). (Dall, 8/1)
Scientific American: Algorithm That Detects Sepsis Cut Deaths By Nearly 20 Percent
Academics and electronic-health-record companies have developed automated systems that send reminders to check patients for sepsis, but the sheer number of alerts can cause health care providers to ignore or turn off these notices. Researchers have been trying to use machine learning to fine-tune such programs and reduce the number of alerts they generate. Now one algorithm has proved its mettle in real hospitals, helping doctors and nurses treat sepsis cases nearly two hours earlier on average—and cutting the condition’s hospital mortality rate by 18 percent. (Bushwick, 8/1)
In other developments from the health care industry —
Modern Healthcare: Accrediting Group Adds Health Equity Metrics To Quality Data
The National Committee for Quality Assurance is adding metrics to the Healthcare Effective Data and Information Set to track how well insurers address health disparities. The update adds some race and ethnicity breakdowns, revises gender labels for people who are pregnant and includes social needs screening within 2023 measures for health plans. (Hartnett, 8/1)
The Boston Globe: PerkinElmer Sells Off Three Business Units In $2.45 Billion Deal
PerkinElmer’s remaining Life Sciences and Diagnostics business unit, which made up approximately 80 percent of the company’s revenue in 2021, will operate under a new name, brand, and ticker that the company said it will announce prior to the closing of the sale. The Applied, Food, and Enterprise Services businesses will continue to operate under the PerkinElmer name, according to the company. (Robisheaux, 8/1)
In news about health care personnel —
Bay Area News Group: Sequoia Hospital Workers End Strike, Reach Agreement With Dignity Health
After a nearly two-week-long strike by hundreds of Sequoia Hospital workers, management and strikers reached an agreement for a 16% raise effective immediately and provisions that could make healthcare benefit costs more predictable. (Toledo, 8/1)
OPB: Severely Short On Nurses, Central Oregon Hospital System Quietly Declares Crisis
Late in the afternoon of July 15, leaders at St. Charles Health System took the unprecedented step of declaring “crisis standards of care” at all four of their locations — the first health system in Oregon to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Oregon Health Authority. (Land and Templeton, 7/27)
Stat: Obstacles Litter The Path To Diversity In EMS
A single mother, Tashina Hosey quit her job at a Pittsburgh post office when she was assigned to work a seventh consecutive day just as her second daughter was about to be born. Desperate to find her next paycheck, she stumbled upon a free 10-week emergency medical technician course. (Muthukumar, 8/1)
