August/September 2025 Issue of Becker’s Clinical Leadership & Infection Control
ON THE COVER
1 hospital’s roadmap to no HAIs in 3 years
Doral, Fla.-based Jackson West Medical Center opened in August 2021 with a road map for preventing hospital acquired infections that is now being scaled across the system.
Patient safety goals at 8 US News Honor Roll hospitals
The top hospitals in the U.S. are focused on utilizing technology to identify safety risks early and fostering a culture where patient safety is a shared responsibility.
HHS to reform organ transplant system
An HHS agency has directed the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to improve national monitoring and to reopen an investigation into a Louisville, Ky.-based organ procurement organization.
How 5 systems are maximizing the ‘least utilized resource in healthcare’
Almost 50 years ago, EHR pioneer and Harvard Medical School professor Warner Slack, MD, said patients’ insight is the “largest and least utilized resource in healthcare.” Today, health systems are working to bring patients into clinical decisions — and increasingly, into strategic ones.
The next ‘major workforce crisis’ systems are tackling
Health systems are taking on what one leader has called the “next major workforce crisis”: a shortage of nurse educators.
‘Staff’ vs. ‘they’: Words that indicate patient experience
An analysis of more than 1 million online reviews about U.S. healthcare facilities found a strong correlation between the word “staff” and positive reviews, whereas “they” is associated with negative reviews.
6 leaders on why NCLEX passage rates are declining
Many nurse leaders expressed surprise that the National Council Licensure Examination pass rate declined earlier this year, but most said the one-year drop is not cause for concern.
Carilion Clinic slashes HAIs with 13 hires
After Carilion Clinic increased its infection prevention and control team from 11 to 24 full-time personnel, the Roanoke, Va.-based system saw a significant decrease in healthcare-associated infections.
344 EDs do not have 24/7 physician coverage: What to know
In 2022, at least 7.4% of emergency departments across the U.S. did not have an attending physician on-site 24/7, a recent PubMed Central study found.
9 stats on the ‘new frontier of care delivery’: Press Ganey
Press Ganey found higher scores in patient experience across all care settings in 2025, and a few metrics distinguish top-quartile facilities from the rest, according to a July 21 report.
Medical misinformation on the rise: 7 notes
Sixty-one percent of physicians said their patients were influenced by medical misinformation or disinformation a moderate amount or a great deal of the time over the past year, a recent Physicians Foundation survey found.
ED boarding times worsen: 7 notes
More patients who require hospitalization are waiting hours or days in emergency departments for a bed to open, and the trend has grown worse the past four years, researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found.
9 generational trends shaping hospital workforce planning
Hospital and health system workforces now span five generations, from entry-level employees to those nearing retirement. Demographic shifts and evolving generational priorities are influencing how organizations recruit, retain and plan for leadership succession.
INFECTION CONTROL
1 hospital’s roadmap to no HAIs in 3 years
Doral, Fla.-based Jackson West Medical Center opened in August 2021 with a road map for preventing hospital acquired infections that is now being scaled across the system.
A CAUTI infection prevention strategy for the PICU that cut rates to zero
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta cut its catheter-associated urinary tract infections in the pediatric intensive care unit to zero — and maintained a rate of zero for more than 500 days — with a new strategy.
Leapfrog, APIC urge infection control investment
In a May 28 message to health system CEOs, two national healthcare safety organizations compared cutting infection control jobs to “dismantling the fire department during wildfire season.”
Carilion Clinic slashes HAIs with 13 hires
After Carilion Clinic increased its infection prevention and control team from 11 to 24 full-time personnel, the Roanoke, Va.-based system saw a significant decrease in healthcare-associated infections.
PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES
Patient safety goals at 8 US News Honor Roll hospitals
The top hospitals in the U.S. are focused on utilizing technology to identify safety risks early and fostering a culture where patient safety is a shared responsibility.
Mount Sinai publishes 1st US guide for infection-linked chronic illnesses
New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System has released the country’s first clinical manual for treating infection-associated chronic illnesses, according to an Aug. 13 news release.
Hospitals brace for more high-risk pregnancies
Hospitals and health systems are preparing for a rise in high-risk pregnancies, even as many labor and delivery units shut down.
HHS to reform organ transplant system
An HHS agency has directed the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to improve national monitoring and to reopen an investigation into a Louisville, Ky.-based organ procurement organization.
344 EDs do not have 24/7 physician coverage: What to know
In 2022, at least 7.4% of emergency departments across the U.S. did not have an attending physician on-site 24/7, a recent PubMed Central study found.
PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE
9 stats on the ‘new frontier of care delivery’: Press Ganey
Press Ganey found higher scores in patient experience across all care settings in 2025, and a few metrics distinguish top-quartile facilities from the rest, according to a July 21 report.
Medical misinformation on the rise: 7 notes
Sixty-one percent of physicians said their patients were influenced by medical misinformation or disinformation a moderate amount or a great deal of the time over the past year, a recent Physicians Foundation survey found.
How 5 systems are maximizing the ‘least utilized resource in healthcare’
Almost 50 years ago, EHR pioneer and Harvard Medical School professor Warner Slack, MD, said patients’ insight is the “largest and least utilized resource in healthcare.” Today, health systems are working to bring patients into clinical decisions — and increasingly, into strategic ones.
9 generational trends shaping hospital workforce planning
Hospital and health system workforces now span five generations, from entry-level employees to those nearing retirement. Demographic shifts and evolving generational priorities are influencing how organizations recruit, retain and plan for leadership succession.
‘Staff’ vs. ‘they’: Words that indicate patient experience
An analysis of more than 1 million online reviews about U.S. healthcare facilities found a strong correlation between the word “staff” and positive reviews, whereas “they” is associated with negative reviews.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT
HHS revives childhood vaccine task force: 7 notes
HHS has reinstated the Safer Childhood Vaccines task force, the agency said in an Aug. 14 news release.
Hospitals miss 49% of patient harm events: HHS report
According to a July report from HHS’ Office of Inspector General, hospitals failed to capture 49% of patient harm events because staff either did not consider them harmful or were not required to disclose them.
ED boarding times worsen: 7 notes
More patients who require hospitalization are waiting hours or days in emergency departments for a bed to open, and the trend has grown worse the past four years, researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found.
Complaints against hospitals grow 79% in 5 years: CMS
More than 14,500 complaints were lodged against hospitals in fiscal 2024, a 79% increase in complaints compared to fiscal 2019, according to a CMS report published Aug. 6.
NURSING SPOTLIGHT
6 leaders on why NCLEX passage rates are declining
Many nurse leaders expressed surprise that the National Council Licensure Examination pass rate declined earlier this year, but most said the one-year drop is not cause for concern.
CRNA pay growth slows as demand cools
In recent years, compensation has been growing for 1099 certified registered nurse anesthetists and nurse anesthesiologists, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.
Virtual nurses cut length of stay, readmissions: 3 study notes
Virtual nurses who handle admission and discharges are cutting length of stay times and readmissions, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found.
A rare nurse dual-role gains traction in hospitals
A rare dual-nurse role is emerging in the U.S. that could serve as a powerful aid to systems: clinically based nurse scientists.
States with the most, fewest licensed nurses
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing found Washington, D.C., has the most licensed nurses per capita, while Utah is the state with the fewest.
