Hospitals have been struggling for years to ensure adequate anesthesia coverage, but COVID-19 may be the straw that finally broke the camel’s back.

As the pandemic has continued to disrupt healthcare — including surgical services — hospital and health system leaders have employed a variety of resourceful strategies and best practices to deal with their most significant challenges.

Two of the largest for-profit hospital operators — HCA Healthcare and Tenet Healthcare — are making major investments in expansion. 

Despite the decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations, in the last week of January 2022, 80 percent of U.S hospitals were under high or extreme stress from COVID-19, The Guardian reported Feb. 4. 

Chicago-based Advocate Trinity Hospital has suffered through seemingly relentless crises since the start of the pandemic, much like many other hospitals. As the omicron surge subsides, it is trying to find a way forward, The Atlantic reported Feb. 2.

With the endorsement of multiple medical societies, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) recently published the first clinical guideline devoted to the evaluation and management of adult patients presenting with a complaint of chest pain.

An inappropriate joke or outdated phrase may not at first appear to be harmful. However, language holds power, and some female medical professionals are asking their colleagues to evaluate the language they use to ensure it is respectful and inclusive.

Cyberattacks are on the rise. Several prominent data breaches and ransomware attacks have healthcare cybersecurity leaders and boards hypervigilant about the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. 

"Hospital-at-home" programs are increasing in popularity with patients, and health systems are beginning to realize the potential cost benefits and improved health outcomes of these programs, according to a report published by consulting firm McKinsey & Company Feb. 2. 

Across social determinants of care, access to care and medical innovation, many policies could be implemented to improve health equity. Here are eight, pulled from a Feb. 1 report from the National Health Council.

Digitizing the patient intake process pays dividends down the road In healthcare, helping patients achieve the best outcome begins with making sure they have crucial knowledge to guide healthy choices. Gathering the right information from the start is essential for patients and providers. It all begins with the patient intake process, which often means patients completing paper forms on clipboards.

As the pandemic continues, healthcare organizations are working to support staff amid chronic employee exhaustion and low morale. To mitigate these issues, Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network created LVHN Insider, a robust, responsive communications platform using Firstup.

The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare, a global health program led by Indianapolis-based Indiana University and developed in Kenya, will launch new partnership sites in Tamale, Ghana, and Puebla, Mexico, according to statements shared with Becker's.

The NRC Health 2022 Healthcare Consumer Trends Report, the leading provider of in-depth customer  intelligence in healthcare, highlights consumers’ evolving preferences and behaviors related to crucial healthcare trends and offers insight into how provider organizations can recapture patient volumes in  2022. 

The No Surprises Act prompted many health practices and hospitals to act quickly to ensure they were in line with the law.

New omicron cases are declining nationwide, with most states predicted to see this surge peak by mid-February. If the omicron surge ends as quickly as it started — as it has in South Africa and the U.K. — some health experts predict the U.S. will experience a "quiet period" where infection levels will remain low due to high levels of population immunity. This period will give hospitals time to recuperate from a COVID-19 wave filled with record hospitalization levels, extreme staffing shortages and a scant supply of available tests and treatments. 

It’s no secret that COVID-19 accelerated digital transformation in nearly every sector, including healthcare. At Amazon Web Services (AWS), we’ve seen our healthcare customers use technology to speed medical research, improve patient care, advance precision medicine, bring therapeutics to market faster, and more.

One health professional is encouraging others to look through a "climate lens" when treating patients, the American Medical Association reported Jan. 26.

When considering how to make U.S. healthcare more efficient and equitable, the Veterans Health Administration might hold the key, writes Dana Brown, director of health and economy at The Democracy Collaborative. In an op-ed in Nonprofit Quarterly on Jan. 24, Ms. Brown says the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the VHA's strengths might be transferable. 

Non-life-threatening conditions can now be treated from a patient's home, allowing hospital beds to go to those most in need. This strategy paid off for Mayo Clinic, and now payers are interested in making the "hospital-at-home" strategy commonplace, NPR reported Jan. 24.