Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|June 29, 2021

Iowa news

Iowa unlikely to meet July 4 vaccination goal

As demand for the COVID-19 vaccine continues to decline in Iowa, just 45% of the state’s total population has been fully vaccinated against the virus. Numbers range from just over a quarter of residents in Davis County to more than half of residents in Johnson County. One expert says this means the state is unlikely to reach President Biden’s July 4 goal of 70%. (Iowa Public Radio)

Iowa hospital CEO turnover among the nation’s lowest in 2020

Turnover among Iowa hospital CEOs in 2020 was 8% while nationally, 16% of hospital CEOs left their roles in 2020. This annual turnover rate is the lowest calculated since 2011, according to a report from the American College of Healthcare Executives. Although this rate is decreased compared to 17% in 2019 and 18% in 2018, recent data suggests turnover remains relatively stable. Turnover has been driven by leaders moving to other roles or departing organizations, among other factors. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

Most hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Iowa are unvaccinated

Corridor hospitals have seen none to very few COVID-19 admissions of vaccinated patients since the shots have become widely available, proving to local health care providers the vaccine is effective in preventing serious illness and death. But unvaccinated patients still are experiencing severe symptoms from the coronavirus, in some cases even requiring a life-support machine to help them breathe. Although the vaccination rate locally means hospital officials no longer are worried a surge in new cases could overwhelm their health care systems, one hospital official said more infectious virus variants making their way into the state still pose a big threat to the community as a whole. (The Gazette)

National news

COVID-19 is still delaying surgeries, even as cases die down. Here’s why

For some former COVID-19 patients, elective surgeries may still be a risk even months after the initial infection, especially among those experiencing lingering virus symptoms. That’s because a growing body of research indicates COVID-19 can affect multiple organs and systems. A number of studies have also shown the postoperative death rate among patients who’ve had COVID-19 is higher than those who’ve never been infected. One such study, published March 9 in Anaesthesia, looked at the 30-day postoperative death rate of more than 140,000 patients across 116 countries who had elective or emergency surgery in October 2020. Among COVID-19 patients, the postoperative death rate was 4.1% for those who had surgery within two weeks of being diagnosed with COVID-19, findings showed. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

90% of US adults are unaware of CMS’ price transparency rule

Less than 10% of Americans know hospitals are required to disclose their prices online, according to research released June 28 by the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker. The CMS price disclosure rule, which took effect Jan. 1, aims to save Americans money by allowing them to price shop for health care services. It requires hospitals to post a machine-readable file with the negotiated rates for all items and services and display the prices of 300 shoppable services in a consumer-friendly format. (Becker’s Hospital CFO Report)

For those with weakened immune systems, COVID-19 vaccines don’t mean the end of the pandemic

The medications that prevent rejection of a transplanted organ also block many transplant patients from making protective antibodies. A recent study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found only 17% of transplant recipients had antibodies after their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with an additional 35% responding after two shots. Although COVID-19 vaccines work incredibly well for most people, roughly 10 million Americans whose immune systems are compromised because of medication or disease may not be well protected. (USA Today)

 

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