Hospitals' drug testing policies can have unintended consequences for women who seek care during pregnancy or after child birth, according to an investigative report published Dec. 11.

Like many fields of medicine, pediatric research faces a shortage of physician-scientists, funding and mentorship opportunities. The impact of this shortage could extend far beyond patient care.

The Environmental Protection Agency has banned two solvents, trichloroethylene and percoethylene, marking a victory for environmental and public health advocates, The New York Times reported Dec. 9. 

Nearly seven years ago, when Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health was formed through the merger of Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System, Amit Vashist, MD, a dual-boarded internist and psychiatrist, found himself contemplating a crucial question.

Patient safety touches every aspect of hospital care, and every hospital can have tens of programs and initiatives that attempt to address each part of it.

Seasonal influenza activity is on the rise in the U.S., with an uptick in both flu-related emergency department visits and laboratory-confirmed cases, according to a Dec. 6 CDC report. 

Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health is facing scrutiny for alleged poor quality of care that critics say stem from its monopoly, KFF Health News reported Dec. 6.

Criminally charged healthcare workers in Illinois, including those accused of abusing patients, often face little oversight or experience delayed discipline, The Chicago Tribune reported Dec. 6.

To prevent falls, a Colorado hospital is replacing frequent bed alarms with an AI-enabled system that analyzes EHR data for risk indicators. 

New projections for U.S. life expectancy forecast a slight increase by 2050, though the nation is expected to fall behind many other nations in global health rankings, according to research published Dec. 5 in The Lancet.

During Thanksgiving week, the CDC recorded 364 whooping cough infections, surpassing the previous record of 228 cases the same week in 2010. 

University Hospitals St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio, has confirmed that a patient previously receiving treatment under isolation after arriving from Tanzania with flu-like symptoms has been cleared and is no longer in isolation.

The National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety launched a new public-facing dashboard that aggregates federal safety data Dec. 5.

Dallas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found that the American Heart Association's stroke guidelines improve the quality and consistency of care for stroke patients and reduce hospital stays.

The District of Columbia's health department is considering allowing certified registered nurse anesthetists to use the title "nurse anesthesiologist." Organizations representing healthcare professionals have argued for and against the title change. 

CMS has reached agreements with bluebird bio and Vertex Pharmaceuticals for their FDA-approved gene therapies for sickle cell disease — Casgevy and Lyfgenia, respectively. 

When patients undergo hysterectomies, they are often unaware of exactly which organs they have had removed or are unfamiliar with the full range of surgical options available, according to a Dec. 1 story from The New York Times, which is based on interviews with physicians and patients. 

The Emergency Care Research Institute has acquired The Just Culture Co., which helps organizations foster a just culture, ECRI said Dec. 2. 

Susan Carroll since 2021 has served as president of Inova Loudoun Hospital, one of only 12 in the U.S. to achieve 26 consecutive "A" grades from Leapfrog Safety Group.

The Joint Commission introduced several notable changes in 2024, including new certifications and revisions to key standards.