All 10 regions in the U.S. reported outpatient flu activity below region-specific baselines for the week ending May 12. However, two states still experienced widespread flu activity, according to the CDC's most recent FluView report.  By Mackenzie Bean - 5/21/18

Preliminary data indicate the rate of sepsis mortality related to overall patient deaths is dropping at University Health Care System in Augusta, Ga. So what are they doing differently?  By Leo Vartorella - 5/21/18

After a systemwide computer network outage hit Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health May 14, two nurses at Sacramento-based Sutter Medical Center claim some patients were admitted May 15, after the outage, despite the hospital not having critical patient information, according to The Sacramento Bee.  By Megan Knowles - 5/21/18

Livingston, N.J.-based Saint Barnabas Medical Center has made significant strides in quality improvement since implementing its Clinical Excellence and Effectiveness program in 2017.  By Mackenzie Bean - 5/18/18

The devastating and unpredictable impact of the 2017-2018 flu season serves as a reminder and another warning to America’s healthcare system about the critical importance of infection prevention and healthcare epidemiology, and the role they play in protecting us from serious outbreaks.  By Eve Humphreys, MBA, Executive Director, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America; and Katrina Crist, MBA, CEO, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology - 5/18/18

A chemotherapy drug for women with a certain type of early stage breast cancer may be just as effective when used half as long as currently recommended, a new study suggests.  By Kelly Gooch - 5/18/18

A study, published in JAMA Cardiology, examined interventional cardiologists' views on how public reporting of percutaneous coronary intervention outcomes affects decision making.  By Anuja Vaidya - 5/18/18

The House is scheduled to vote next week on a "right-to-try" bill, which would allow terminally ill patients to take drugs undergoing clinical trials and that have not been fully approved by the FDA. But FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said if the bill passes, the agency would have to work harder to protect patients than it would under alternative legislation, he told STAT.  By Megan Knowles - 5/18/18

While the transition to value-based care has taken longer than expected, the inertia behind the shift is decades old and unlikely to cease regardless of governmental policy.  By Brian Zimmerman - 5/18/18

As hospitals evaluate ways to improve patient outcomes, advance patient safety and address staffing shortages while minimizing costs, they face a pressing concern: How can they provide 24/7 monitoring for high-risk patients without incurring unsustainable labor costs?  By Julie Spitzer - 5/18/18

CMS has opened an investigation into St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital days after the state's healthcare agency cited the hospital for not reporting two medical errors in which needles were left in patients' hearts after surgery, according to the Tampa Bay Times.  By Alyssa Rege - 5/18/18

Replacing Charge Nurses with Clinical Nurse Leaders in the ED  By Nick Chmielewski, MSN, RN, CEN, CNML, NE-BC, FAEN and Larry Faulkner, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN Philips Blue Jay Consulting - 5/17/18

A study, published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, examined the use of an automated system to detect ventilator-associated events in real time.  By Anuja Vaidya - 5/17/18

The harvest season for romaine lettuce linked to a national E. coli outbreak ended April 16. As romaine only has a 21-day shelf life, it is unlikely the contaminated lettuce is still on grocery store shelves or in consumers' fridges, according to a May 16 CDC update.  By Mackenzie Bean - 5/17/18

Pittsburgh-based UPMC, the American Heart Association and health tech company Philips, have launched a $30 million venture capital fund aimed at developing innovations in heart disease and stroke care, the AHA announced May 17.  By Megan Knowles - 5/17/18

The rates at which women received episiotomies, a surgical cut to the perineum to aid in vaginal deliveries, and C-sections differed significantly among hospitals in the same city and region, according to the Leapfrog Group's 2018 Maternity Care Report.  By Megan Knowles - 5/17/18

CMS seeks to combine various Medicare quality improvement programs under a single contract worth up to $25 billion, the agency announced May 15.  By Megan Knowles - 5/17/18

Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., broke Florida law by failing to inform regulators about two serious medical errors, according to the Tampa Bay Times, which cited a report from the Agency for Health Care Administration.  By Ayla Ellison - 5/16/18

A research team identified a technology to help fight false positives in CT-based lung cancer screening, a study published in PLOS One found.  By Megan Knowles - 5/16/18

The Infectious Diseases Society of America, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society selected the first-ever awardees of its recently established LEAP Fellowship.  By Anuja Vaidya - 5/16/18