Iowa news
10 Iowa hospitals receive 5 stars from CMS
CMS updated its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings for 2022, giving 429 hospitals a rating of five stars, including 10 in Iowa. CMS assigned star ratings to hospitals nationwide based on their performance across five quality categories. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Concerns raised about ‘aggressive’ timeline for Glenwood Resource Center closure
The leaders of two Iowa health care groups say they’re concerned about the pending closure of the state-run Glenwood Resource Center for residents with profound disabilities. After a federal investigation of how residents were being treated, state officials announced the facility would close in 2024. Di Findley is the founder of Iowa CareGivers, an advocacy group for health care workers and those who receive care. While Findley understands ending institutional care is a priority, she says transferring Glenwood residents to community or home-based care will be difficult. Brent Willett, president and CEO of the Iowa Health Care Association, would like to see deep new investment in the facilities and services that are caring for frail and elderly Iowans. (Iowa Public Radio)
Study shows Iowa hospitals provided millions of dollars in benefits in 2021
Iowa hospitals provided millions in community benefit and employed thousands in 2021. A new study from the Iowa Hospital Association finds hospitals in the state provided more than $742 million dollars in community benefits last year, including immunizations, nutrition services, counseling, transportation to the hospital, and more. The study also found Iowa hospitals employed more than 149,000 people and paid employees more than $8.8 billion dollars in wages. (WHO Radio)
National news
Hospitals are closing ORs on a daily basis, even without a COVID-19 surge
Hospitals are still experiencing disruptions to their operating room capacity, with temporary but regular OR closures prompted by staff absences and more complex cases. Some of the largest health systems in Massachusetts had to temporarily close their ORs on and off for months. UMass Memorial Health has approximately 2,000 vacant jobs, including 500 for nurses, and several dozen employees continue to call in sick daily with COVID-19. OR closures continue to hamper the system’s revenue, which has not fully recovered from the state-mandated suspension of elective procedures during the omicron surge in late December and January. Those pauses contributed to a $41.4 million operating loss in the quarter ended in March. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
BA.5’s effect on COVID-19 admissions still unclear, CDC models show
As the highly transmissible omicron subvariant BA.5 rapidly spreads, national disease forecasting models show an uncertain trend for COVID-19 admissions over the next month. The nation’s seven-day average of new hospital admissions is 6,181, up from 6,035 a week prior, CDC data shows. Nationwide, daily COVID-19 hospital admissions are projected to remain stable or have an uncertain trend over the next four weeks, with 3,100 to 13,800 new admissions likely reported on Aug. 12, according to the CDC’s ensemble forecast from 16 modeling groups. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Epidemiologists warn the U.S. reaches a critical moment to contain monkeypox
On the heels of a public health emergency declaration from the World Health Organization, epidemiologists and public health experts warn the U.S. is running out of time to contain a monkeypox outbreak that has infected nearly 3,000 Americans. U.S. officials have already expanded testing, made tens of thousands of vaccines available and made plans to release another 1.6 million doses in the coming months. But the limited supplies have not matched demand, some health officials have reported. And despite limited testing, case numbers have grown so rapidly in recent weeks that a larger response may be necessary to contain the outbreak, experts say – if containment is still possible. (Iowa Public Radio)