Nursing homes struggling to get uncertified temporary nurse aides (TNA) trained to federal training requirements by the Oct. 7 deadline now have more flexibility.

In the United States, one could easily ask, “If we could make one important fix to our disjointed healthcare system, what would it be?” We could even take the expectation of “one fix” out of the question and instead ask, “What is the first fix?”

Most healthcare providers understand the importance of patient engagement. In value-based care, it’s key to optimizing patient outcomes, which leads to better-value care overall.

But since 2020, patient engagement has become more important than ever—especially for those with complex care needs. Providers must find ways to engage patients and keep them in-network. The alternative risks worse outcomes and lost revenue.

Here, I’ll walk through five things providers can do to maximize patient engagement.

As we slide from the 8^th month to the 9^th, I’m hoping that you have/had the opportunity to take some time over the Labor Day weekend for some rest and relaxation. While it is certain that exhaustion is almost the baseline of the moment when it comes to healthcare, I am hopeful that we’re in the final stages of the constant barrage of external factors (there will be a barrage, no doubt, but I am hoping for a reduction to something less than constant), but as I’ve been reading in a lot of different places, hope is not a plan. I guess we’ll just have to keep following this story.

This is the first of a two-part article where security leader Robert Nordby catches up with HLSC and looks at ways to prevent and mitigate active shooter events at healthcare facilities.

An active shooter situation is one of the most horrifying scenarios imaginable, no matter where it plays out. But healthcare leaders are especially challenged to bolster their defenses after dealing with three years of a pandemic, economic woes, physician shortages, and the general frustration felt by the patient community that’s been through the same circumstances.

There is a new “pox” on lab safety—monkeypox. Like the most recent novel virus (COVID-19), the unknowns about the monkeypox virus are creating new safety concerns for laboratorians, and it is now time to nip unnecessary fears in the bud. Safety leaders can accomplish this through preparation and education.

The U.S. healthcare staffing crisis is severely impacting patients. Among other effects, it is causing a dramatic increase in the length of expensive hospital stays.

Four in 10 hospitals have struggled to appropriately discharge patients due to staffing shortages (Reed, 2022). Moreover, 86% of hospitals say COVID-19 has made it harder to secure placement for discharged patients. With the lack of postacute care staffing, health systems are under pressure to extend the length of hospital stays—making the cost of care dramatically more expensive.

Hospitals are now battling both monkeypox and COVID-19 as twin health emergencies, but CMS has signaled that the waivers and flexibilities allowed for almost three years may be almost up.

The Joint Commission is still catching up on the surveys backlogged during the COVID-19 pandemic—but they are catching up.