November/December 2025 Issue of Becker’s Clinical Leadership & Infection Control
ON THE COVER
Measles outbreak grows as virus season ramps up: 5 updates
The CDC has confirmed 1,723 measles cases as of Nov. 12 — a more than 500% increase from 2024, when 285 U.S. cases were confirmed.
Nurse leaders in their own words: How the CNO role is evolving
Change management and technological savvy are emerging as essential skills for the next generation of chief nursing officers, nurse leaders told Becker’s.
HCA’s AI-backed safety strategy
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is applying artificial intelligence to reframe patient safety work as a predictive, systemwide discipline, according to an Oct. 16 blog post from the American Hospital Association.
Baystate offers buyouts, citing OBBBA
Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health has launched a “voluntary separation program” amid financial challenges, aiming to reduce the need for involuntary workforce reductions.
How Novant cut sepsis mortality in half — and why it’s calling for policy change
Novant Health has achieved a more than 50% reduction in sepsis mortality across its hospitals since 2021, following coordinated efforts to improve early identification and treatment.
Systems retool career ladders to retain bedside nurses
Health systems are modernizing career advancement programs to build internal pipelines and keep nurses at the bedside.
The nationwide growth of an ‘island’ nurse role
A group of nurse scientists is building a national collaborative to formalize the role within hospitals.
Hospitals lose millions managing recurrent C. diff, study suggests
Recurring Clostridioides difficile infections could be costing hospitals millions, an AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center study found.
CEO: Mission Hospital out of immediate jeopardy
Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Hospital is no longer under an immediate jeopardy designation, CEO Greg Lowe told staff in a Nov. 7 email shared with Becker’s.
Maine hospital to drop trauma designation
Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, the flagship facility of Central Maine Healthcare, will not seek reverification as a Level 3 trauma center from the American College of Surgeons, according to a Nov. 5 alert from Maine EMS.
The states adopting the ‘physician associate’ title
Three states have successfully made statutory changes to replace the title “physician assistant” with “physician associate,” according to an Oct. 28 news release from the American Academy of Physician Associates.
How HSHS engages early-career nurses
Many hospitals and health systems have seen improvements in overall nurse retention post-pandemic. Turnover among early-career nurses, however, is still a major pain point.
New Joint Commission model lets hospitals guide survey support
Hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission will soon have access to a new optional support model designed to strengthen performance between surveys, the organization said Oct. 29.
INFECTION CONTROL
Measles outbreak grows as virus season ramps up: 5 updates
The CDC has confirmed 1,723 measles cases as of Nov. 12 — a more than 500% increase from 2024, when 285 U.S. cases were confirmed.
Hospitals lose millions managing recurrent C. diff, study suggests
Recurring Clostridioides difficile infections could be costing hospitals millions, an AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center study found.
HCA’s ‘smoke detector for sepsis’ tool
Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based HCA Healthcare’s Los Robles Health System has created a tool that acts as a “smoke detector for sepsis,” according to an Aug. 26 news release shared with Becker’s.
HHS names new members on vaccine advisory committee
On Sept. 15, HHS appointed five new members to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which is meeting later this week to vote on vaccines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Mayo Clinic granted $40M for air quality project
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic received $40 million to launch an air-quality improvement research project.
PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES
CEO: Mission Hospital out of immediate jeopardy
Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Hospital is no longer under an immediate jeopardy designation, CEO Greg Lowe told staff in a Nov. 7 email shared with Becker’s.
Nemours Children’s creates nation’s 1st at-home pediatric program
Since June, Jacksonville, Fla.-based Nemours Children’s Health has cared for more than 120 children with complex medical conditions at home through a first-of-a-kind program.
Maine hospital to drop trauma designation
Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, the flagship facility of Central Maine Healthcare, will not seek reverification as a Level 3 trauma center from the American College of Surgeons, according to a Nov. 5 alert from Maine EMS.
7 risk factors associated with clinical C. auris infections
CDC and Florida Health Department researchers found seven risk factors that can lead to clinical Candida auris cases.
Higher caseloads don’t impact patient outcomes at SNFs
The number of nursing home patients a physician or nurse practitioner sees does not significantly affect patient outcome measures, such as readmissions and emergency department visits, a Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania study found.
PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE
How Novant cut sepsis mortality in half — and why it’s calling for policy change
Novant Health has achieved a more than 50% reduction in sepsis mortality across its hospitals since 2021, following coordinated efforts to improve early identification and treatment.
The states adopting the ‘physician associate’ title
Three states have successfully made statutory changes to replace the title “physician assistant” with “physician associate,” according to an Oct. 28 news release from the American Academy of Physician Associates.
Missouri systems perform nation’s 8th domino pediatric heart transplant
Teams at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and St. Louis-based WashU Medicine Heart Center performed its first living pediatric “domino” partial heart transplant.
RWJBarnabas Health expands community health program systemwide
RWJBarnabas Health, a 14-hospital system based in West Orange, N.J., said Oct. 9 it is widening its community health worker program across its enterprise.
Baystate offers buyouts, citing OBBBA
Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health has launched a “voluntary separation program” amid financial challenges, aiming to reduce the need for involuntary workforce reductions.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT
HCA’s AI-backed safety strategy
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is applying artificial intelligence to reframe patient safety work as a predictive, systemwide discipline, according to an Oct. 16 blog post from the American Hospital Association.
New Joint Commission model lets hospitals guide survey support
Hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission will soon have access to a new optional support model designed to strengthen performance between surveys, the organization said Oct. 29.
Sickest Medicare patients least likely to have social risks documented: Study
Hospitals infrequently document social risk factors using Z codes, particularly for clinically complex patients, according to research from the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics.
Inside HCA’s stroke pilot program
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest health system with 190 hospitals, improved stroke cause identification by 33% through a pilot program at 10 of its stroke centers.
University Health’s salvage clinic reduces amputations
San Antonio-based University Health is working to reduce limb amputation with its new Limb Salvage Clinic.
NURSING SPOTLIGHT
Nurse leaders in their own words: How the CNO role is evolving
Change management and technological savvy are emerging as essential skills for the next generation of chief nursing officers, nurse leaders told Becker’s.
How HSHS engages early-career nurses
Many hospitals and health systems have seen improvements in overall nurse retention post-pandemic. Turnover among early-career nurses, however, is still a major pain point.
Rhode Island Hospital to transition some units to 12-hour nursing shifts
Rhode Island Hospital in Providence is transitioning some nursing shifts to 12 hours toward the end of October, a spokesperson said in a statement to Becker’s on Oct. 21.
Systems retool career ladders to retain bedside nurses
Health systems are modernizing career advancement programs to build internal pipelines and keep nurses at the bedside.
The nationwide growth of an ‘island’ nurse role
A group of nurse scientists is building a national collaborative to formalize the role within hospitals.
