U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is issuing the first Surgeon General’s Advisory of this Administration to warn the American public about the urgent threat of health misinformation. Health misinformation, including disinformation, have threatened the U.S. response to COVID-19 and continue to prevent Americans from getting vaccinated, prolonging the pandemic and putting lives at risk, and the advisory encourages technology …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) discusses the goals for advancing quality measurement in the next 5-10 years, focusing on streamlining measures to reduce the burden and the transition to digital quality measures. CMS staff also provides an overview and highlight key components of its newly finalized Digital Quality Measurement Blueprint. The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) is …
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announced its support for hospitals and health systems that are requiring all employees and clinical team members to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. “APIC applauds healthcare organizations for taking this bold patient safety step,” said APIC 2021 President Ann Marie Pettis, BSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC. “Low …
CISA is the Nation’s risk advisor, working with partners to defend against today’s threats and collaborating to build more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future. Ransomware incidents can severely impact business processes and leave organizations without the data they need to operate and deliver mission-critical services. The economic and reputational impacts of ransomware incidents, throughout the initial disruption and, …
Today, there are more than 30,00 ALCs in the United States serving more than 800,000 residents. With the growth in recent years, ALCs have been increasingly shifting from a mostly hospitality-based environment to a more healthcare-focused setting by offering services for medication management, skilled nursing, and dementia care. This shift has highlighted the need for national, consensus-based standards and accreditation. …
In a study published in SLEEP, EEGs were used to gather clinically relevant information for personalized patient health evaluations and a comprehensive assessment of sleep. In the study, a deep neural network (DNN) model was trained to predict the age of patients using raw EEG signals. The researchers found that DNNs can accurately predict the brain age of healthy patients. …
Nursing home surveys are conducted in accordance with survey protocols and Federal requirements to determine whether a citation of non-compliance is appropriate. Consolidated Medicare and Medicaid requirements for participation (requirements) for Long Term Care (LTC) facilities (42 CFR part 483, subpart B) were first published in the Federal Register on February 2, 1989 (54 FR 5316). The requirements for participation …
If you have ever experienced a burning mouth, you know it is extremely unpleasant! I’m not referring to burning your mouth on hot liquids but rather a burning sensation that is totally unprovoked. According to the JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery publication, burning mouth syndrome occurs in about 90-120 of 100,000 people. Women are more likely to have the syndrome …
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often rapid heart rate. The heart has 4 chambers through which blood flows before being sent to the rest of the body to deliver oxygen and vital nutrients. The top 2 chambers are the atria and are important in helping blood reach the bottom 2 chambers, the ventricles. The right ventricle squeezes blood into …
