As hospital staffs work to improve the process of transferring patients between facilities, more communication between hospitals could improve patient care and reduce mortality, a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found.  By Megan Knowles - 7/18/18

A proposed amendment to the Ohio constitution that would restrict profits and increase regulations at the state's outpatient dialysis centers could make rural patients have to travel farther for care, the Toledo Blade reports.  By Megan Knowles - 7/17/18

The CDC is urging consumers to avoid Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal,  linked to a Salmonella mbandaka outbreak across 33 states that has sickened at least 100 people.  By Megan Knowles - 7/17/18

Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada found aspects in nursing notes of healthcare providers may help predict whether intensive care unit patients will survive.  By Megan Knowles - 7/17/18

Death rates attributed to liver cancer have increased by 43 percent among American adults between 2003 to 2016, according to a report released by the CDC.  By Harrison Cook - 7/17/18

A study, published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, examined predictors of provider disagreement with antimicrobial stewardship prospective audit and feedback recommendations.  By Anuja Vaidya - 7/17/18

Changes in diagnoses occur frequently during interhospital transfers and are associated with increased likelihood of patient death, according to a study published in Journal of General Internal Medicine.  By Anuja Vaidya - 7/17/18

Although preventing unplanned readmissions is a major goal for hospitals, the preventability of readmissions changes over time, a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found. Hospitals can often prevent readmissions within the first week of discharge, but readmissions that happen later often relate to patients' lack of access to outpatient clinics.  By Megan Knowles - 7/17/18

Clinicians at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles performed 641 organ transplants in 2017, which included kidney, pancreas, lung, heart, liver and intestinal transplants, making them the national leader in organ transplants this past year.  By Harrison Cook - 7/17/18

Patients with respiratory illnesses and colds may be more likely to get antibiotics when they visit an urgent care clinic — an unnecessary prescribing practice that could increase patients' risk of antibiotic-resistant infections, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found.  By Megan Knowles - 7/17/18

Benchmarking data is valuable for hospital and health system leaders to measure individual institutions and discover areas of excellence, as well as identify opportunities for improvement.  By Mackenzie Bean and Megan Knowles - 7/16/18

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock resumed its cardiac surgery program about two months after it was suspended due to a lead surgeon's retirement, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.  By Megan Knowles - 7/16/18

Over the past weeks, there have been an alarming number of food recalls, food contaminations and foodborne disease outbreaks. The Chicago Tribune tapped CDC experts to answer raising consumer concerns about these trends.   By Harrison Cook - 7/16/18

A study published in Medical Care examined individual risk factors for unintentional prescription opioid overdose among the U.S. Medicaid population.  By Anuja Vaidya - 7/16/18

After creating population reports to help monitor patients, a Louisiana-based independent practice saw a 77 percent increase in its ability to identify care gaps, according to a blog post on the AMA Wire.  By Megan Knowles - 7/16/18

The American Hospital Association selected Robyn Begley, DNP, RN, to serve as CEO of the American Organization of Nurse Executives as well as senior vice president and chief nursing officer of the AHA.  By Anuja Vaidya - 7/16/18

Although patient safety concerns have led to more efforts to reduce adverse events in the last 20 years, a study published in Pediatrics found pediatric adverse event rates were significantly higher in teaching hospitals than in nonteaching ones.  By Megan Knowles - 7/16/18

Several accounts have surfaced of pregnant women in Immigration and Customs Enforcement  detention centers being denied access to medical care after having miscarriages, reported Buzzfeed News.  By Harrison Cook - 7/16/18

The majority — 50 percent to 70 percent — of family members with a loved one in an intensive care unit said they were hesitant to voice their concerns about common care situations with safety implications, a study published in BMJ Quality and Safety found.  By Megan Knowles - 7/16/18

A funding cut is forcing the shutdown of a one-of-kind medical research database on July 16.  By Megan Knowles - 7/16/18