While healthcare organizations are scrambling to understand how and where AI can best fit in, there’s a mad rush to figure out policy and regulations as well.

Hospitalizations involving fungal infections increased 8.5% each year between 2019 and 2021, according to a new CDC analysis, and was driven primarily by hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19–associated fungal infections. Just as with so many other aspects of public health, the CDC analysis showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a deleterious impact on fungal infection prevention and mortality.

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) is launching NAPNAP Cares, with online continuing education (CE) courses designed to support pediatric-focused NPs and advanced practice RNs (APRNs) as they respond to the growing need for mental health care among young patients.

While the focus of compliance tends to revolve around rules, regulations and such, I think it’s clear that one of the greatest challenges in healthcare is the attraction and retention of staff. 

When the Leapfrog Safety Group published its annual list of Hospital Safety Grades, they announced they’d found a significant increase in healthcare-associated infections (HAI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic has been officially ended, it’s a good time for healthcare organizations and providers to revisit their HAI policies, procedures, and prevention strategies.

Expect accrediting organizations (AO) to focus more on the physical environment, patient rights, infection control, governing body leadership, and anesthesia services. And also expect more condition-level findings.

The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ended on May 11, but the spread of COVID-19 must still be controlled.

We spoke with Heidi Raines, the CEO and founder of Performance Health Partners and author of “Shared Voices: A Framework for Patient and Employee Safety in Healthcare“ about the importance of a culture of safety, what it can do for a hospital or clinic, and how to keep it running.