Patient Safety & Outcomes

The anesthesia drug shortage has become so severe in certain areas that it is affecting hospital operations, according to a blog post by Somnia Anesthesia.

The New York City Health Department and the Health and Hospitals Corporation have announced that in just under a decade New York City's colonoscopy rate has increased by 62 percent, according to a news release.

On average, care for privately insured chemotherapy patients costs 24 percent more in a hospital outpatient setting than in a physician's office, according to a study by Avalere Health.

A new study conducted by gastroenterologists at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates poor preparation by patients for a colonoscopy may lead to doctors missing pre-cancerous polyps, according to a news release.

Approximately one in six hospitals experiences "high rates" of central line-associated bloodstream infections, according to an analysis by NPR.

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services has released its 2011 Hospital Performance Report, which highlights continuing hospital quality improvement as well as opportunities for growth.

Some anesthesiologists may hesitate to report medical errors due to concern over blame from their colleagues, according to a study published in the March issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

The transfusion of red blood cells stored for more than 21 days is no more harmful than fresh red blood cell transfusions, according to a study published in the March issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma, La., has closed its labor and delivery department, including its neonatal care unit, due to budget constraints, according to a Houma Today report.

More than 200 national and local healthcare experts convened at the Naval Hospital Jacksonville Patient Safety Symposium in Jacksonville, Fla., last week to discuss patient safety, according to a Florida Times-Union report.