Becker's ASC Review

20 HEALTHCARE NEWS 20 Where nurses, CDC don't see eye to eye By Erica Carbajal N ational Nurses United's recent scrutiny over the CDC's proposed masking standards in hospitals is the latest example of the two entities not seeing eye to eye on infection control. Since the COVID-19 pandemic's start in 2020, the largest U.S. union of registered nurses has led several calls urging the CDC to clarify or strengthen infection control guidance related to isolation and masking. In the latest instance, the NNU has expressed concern over dra CDC guidance that, if finalized aer a November vote, would put surgical masks on par with N95s. An advisory committee released a dra of its proposals in June, which concluded there is no difference in protection offered by N95s compared to surgical masks. In response, NNU delivered a petition supported by 45 organizations that called the proposed updates "anti-science" and failed to recognize the aerosol transmission of respiratory pathogens. e CDC told KFF News it welcomes feedback and clarified the dra proposals are not final. As the BA.5 omicron subvariant began to fuel a rise in cases and hospitalizations in July 2022, NNU called on the CDC to strengthen what it called "lax" public health guidance and communications regarding the virus' spread and when to implement mitigation measures such as masking. Specifically, NNU took issue with the CDC's community levels metric, which recommended masking indoors when community levels — which were mostly based on hospitalizations — were high. In December 2021, National Nurses United condemned the agency's recommendation to trim the isolation period for asymptomatic healthcare workers with COVID-19 from 10 days to seven days, and guidance that said exposed workers who were vaccinated no longer needed to quarantine. In response to a comment request regarding NNU's calls for changes to infection control guidance, the CDC sent a link to a webpage that explains its advisory committee's role in developing isolation precautions guidance. e Healthcare Infection Control Advisory Committee is made up of experts "across the continuum of care" including members with expertise in nursing and clinical operations, the site says. Requests to bolster infection control protocols from the union come amid broader calls from the nursing industry for hospitals to improve workplace safety and other efforts to recruit and retain nurses. n Joint Commission creates sustainable hospital certification By Ashleigh Hollowell T he Joint Commission has announced a new, voluntary certification for hospitals and health systems to achieve sustainable healthcare practices. Beginning January 2024, both Joint Commission accredited and nonaccredited hospitals and health systems can begin to pursue the voluntary sustainable healthcare certification, according to a Sept. 18 news release. The new certification was born out of "requests from healthcare organizations that want to accelerate their sustainable practices and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," according to the release. The program encourages hospitals to set baseline goals to measure three areas of greenhouse gas emissions and then subsequently develop and implement a plan to reduce them. "Decarbonization also is an imperative for improving healthcare equity and patient safety, as the individuals least able to compensate for the effects of the climate are already burdened with adverse social determinants of health," the release states. In addition to the program, The Joint Commission has also created a resource center for organizations to explore tools and strategies to help guide them along their journey to achieve the new certification. n Healthcare CFOs' No. 1 concern By Alexis Kayser H ealth plan and health system CFOs point to the current economic situation when asked to identify their top concern, according to a Sept. 14 survey from Deloitte. The consulting firm surveyed 60 finance chiefs at American health plans and health systems about their priorities and paths forward and shared their findings with Becker's. Inflationary pressures have created a cost-heavy operating model for many organizations, CFOs told Deloitte. Coupled with higher care delivery, labor and supply costs — and slowed revenue growth — financial viability weighs heavily on leaders. More than 40 percent of health system CFOs believe their health systems may need more than two years to reach the profit levels they generated before the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventy percent of CFOs identified the current economic situation as a greater concern than it was last year. Meanwhile, 57 percent pointed to new regulatory requirements as a growing concern, and 51 percent said the same of the current operating model and structure. n

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