Patient Safety & Outcomes

A surgical team at New York City-based NYU Langone Health has performed the first pig-to-human kidney transplant as part of a new clinical trial for patients with end-stage renal disease. The multisite Expand study is the first U.S. clinical trial…

Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic launched a digital tool that allows patients to compare hospitals based on quality metrics. HealthLocator is a free tool that uses publically available CMS data on clinical quality, hospital patient safety, associated infection metrics and patient…

Smoking has long been a significant concern for healthcare professionals. As a leading cause of serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and strokes, smoking is estimated to cost the U.S. healthcare industry almost $227 billion annually, with wider…

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. Three things to know: 1. The optional “Continuous Engagement” model will launch Jan.…

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. HCA launched the Getting to the Heart of Stroke initiative in collaboration…

Mercy Health has suspended mammography services at its hospitals in Tiffin and Perrysburg — both in Ohio — after accreditors found issues with the quality of images during a review at the facilities. The American College of Radiology, which accredits…

Chicago-based Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital has established an advanced leukemia clinical and research program to expand access to clinical trials and novel therapies for patients in the region. The Cal’s Angels Advanced Leukemia Clinical and Research Program…

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. Here are five things to know: 1.  In April, Oregon…

Mass General Brigham surgeons have removed a genetically edited pig kidney from a patient, Tim Andrews, after nearly nine months — making the 67-year-old the longest-living recipient of a pig kidney.  In January, Mr. Andrews, of Concord, N.H., was the…

Philadelphia’s health department issued an advisory after emergency departments reported an increase in the number of seizures. For the Oct. 7 advisory, the department looked at the number of drug use-related emergency department visits that involved a chief complaint or…