LockBit Ransomware Targets Croatia's Largest Hospital
2024 03 Jul
In a significant cybercrime incident, the LockBit ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Croatia’s largest hospital, the University Hospital Centre (KBC) in Zagreb. This breach disrupted the hospital's IT systems, impacting patient care and internal operations. The attack, part of a broader surge in cyberattacks in Croatia,...Read more
Protecting Rural Hospitals: Microsoft's Cybersecurity Initiative
2024 02 Jul
Rural hospitals are indispensable pillars of healthcare in the United States, providing essential services to communities often underserved by larger healthcare networks. However, these vital institutions face mounting challenges, with cyberattacks emerging as a significant threat. Recognizing this critical issue, Microsoft has launched the Microsoft...Read more
The Rise of Robotics in Hospital Logistics: Innovations and Challenges
2024 13 Jun
As hospitals worldwide grapple with staff shortages and budget constraints, the integration of automation long established in other industries emerges as a promising solution. While medical robotics have traditionally been associated with specialised tasks in operating theatres, a new frontier is expanding: the use of robots for logistical operations...Read more
Empowering Rural and Community Hospitals with Emerging Technologies
2024 12 Jun
Rural and community hospitals serve nearly 15% of the U.S. population, yet only 10% of physicians practice in these areas. Despite their rural settings, these healthcare organisations face the same staffing, security, and budgetary challenges as their urban counterparts. With the costs of electronic health record (EHR) downtime and ransomware...Read more
Water Quality in Hospital Device Processing: ECRI’s Recommendations
2024 06 Jun
Water plays a pivotal role in the intricate process of cleaning and sterilising medical devices within hospital settings. Understanding the nuances of water quality and its implications on device processing is crucial for maintaining patient safety and operational efficiency. In a note published on its website, ECRI delves into the various facets...Read more
How Connectivity Solutions Can Serve Hospital at Home
2024 04 Jun
The Hospitals in the Home (HiTH) care model, dating back to the 1950s in France, has gained traction globally, with implementation in countries like Australia, the UK, Canada, Israel, Spain, and the US. In Australia alone, it accounted for over 595,000 days of care in 2017-2018, constituting over 5% of acute care bed days. HiTH aims to alleviate...Read more
In-Hospital Mortality as a Sepsis Quality Metric
2024 01 Jun
Sepsis is a major cause of death and disability and a key focus of quality measures for hospitals. In-hospital mortality of sepsis patients is often used for benchmarking by researchers and policymakers. For instance, in New York, sepsis regulations require reporting risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality, identifying hospitals with higher or lower...Read more
Learning from Hospitalists: A Path for Hospital at Home to Thrive
2024 30 May
In 1996, two groundbreaking models emerged in acute care: the hospitalist concept and Hospital at Home (HaH). Both promised high-quality care at lower costs, but while hospitalists became a cornerstone of inpatient care, HaH struggled for traction. Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic, HaH faced a resurgence due to regulatory changes and investments....Read more
Evolution of Hospital in the Home (HiTH) Model and Connectivity Solutions
2024 24 May
The Hospitals in the Home (HiTH) care model, established since the 1950s in France and adopted in various countries including Australia, the UK, Canada, Israel, Spain, and the US, aims to alleviate capacity issues in healthcare, enhance efficiencies, cut costs, and improve patient experience by transitioning care from hospitals to homes. In Australia...Read more
US Providers’ Plea to Secure the Future of Acute Hospital Care at Home
2024 16 May
Amidst the COVID pandemic, healthcare innovations emerged as beacons of change, among them the Acute Hospital Care at Home program. As we navigate the post-pandemic landscape, it’s imperative to recognize the invaluable contributions of this initiative and advocate for its continuation. Introduced by the Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services...Read more
Delayed Hospital Discharges Strain Patients and Providers
2024 08 May
One of the most persistent challenges in modern healthcare systems is the timely discharge of patients who no longer require acute care. This issue has plagued hospitals for years and is now reaching critical levels, leaving both patients and providers in a precarious situation. Across the United States, hospital leaders are grappling with an...Read more
USA Hospitals Face Rising Operational Costs Pressure
2024 08 May
Hospitals and health systems, despite grappling with significant challenges, are demonstrating remarkable resilience in this period of transformation. They face rising demand for high-acuity care and financial instability due to workforce shortages, supply chain disruptions, and inflation. Yet, despite these hurdles, many hospitals are operating...Read more
Unlocking Insights: Sneak Peek into the Upcoming 47th IHF World Hospital Congress
2024 16 Apr
Prepare to be inspired and informed as Rio gears up to host the 47th IHF World Hospital Congress this September. The Congress promises a lineup of sessions and activities featuring distinguished international speakers who will delve into the most pressing challenges and exciting opportunities for healthcare executives today. Here’s a glimpse of...Read more
Navigating Connectivity Challenges in Hospital-at-Home Settings
2024 11 Apr
Connectivity issues are the bane of the modern workplace, but in a Hospital-at-Home (H@H) setting, the stakes are raised higher, as it could lead to a critical lapse in patient care. For years, the telecommunications industry has grappled with the concept of the “last mile,” the final stretch of connectivity to a home or business. This bottleneck...Read more
Cause and Preventability of In-Hospital Mortality After PCI
2024 09 Apr
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is a common procedure globally and in the United States, but periprocedural mortality, though rare, is a serious concern. Initially, it was believed that most deaths post-PCI were due to procedural complications, leading to the use of periprocedural mortality as an indicator of procedural quality. ...Read more
Hospital Sustainability & Resilience: Insights from the 11th International Patient Safety Conference
2024 13 Mar
At the 11th International Patient Safety Conference held on February 23, 2024, in Bangalore, India, the focus shifted to advancing sustainability and resilience within the healthcare sector. Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Group, set the tone by urging India to play a major role in new healthcare systems advances....Read more
ECR 2024 Day 1: The Green Hospital: Enhancing Sustainability
2024 28 Feb
With industry companies publicizing their efforts to decrease the energy consumption of devices and unveiling AI solutions for power management, sustainability was one of the main keywords of the ECR (European Congress of Radiology) congress in Vienna. In a session chaired by Jose Guilherme Couto (Malta) and Philipp Brantner (Switzerland), lecturers...Read more
Ransomware Puts 100 Romanian Hospitals Offline
2024 14 Feb
In a significant cybersecurity incident, Romanian officials have reported a ransomware attack on the Hippocrate platform, essential for the operation of IT infrastructure across multiple healthcare facilities, leading to disruption in over 100 hospitals. The cyberattack, occurring on the evening of February 11, compromised production servers,...Read more
IHF and PAHO/WHO Sign Agreement to Strengthen Hospital Management in the Americas
2024 25 Jan
Photo: Ronald Lavater, CEO, IHF, with Dr Rhonda Sealey-Thomas, Assistant Director, PAHO/WHO, and Dr Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr, Director, PAHO/WHO. The International Hospital Federation (IHF) and the Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) have entered into a technical cooperation agreement...Read more
Return to Work After Hospitalisation for Sepsis
2024 03 Jan
This study focuses on the impact of sepsis, a condition resulting from a dysregulated immune response to infection, on the ability of patients to return to work (RTW). Sepsis is a significant global health concern, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Sepsis survivors commonly experience long-term cognitive and functional impairments, but the...Read more
IHF Partners’ Workshop: In 2030, hospitals will be Sustainable. How Do We Get There?
2023 21 Dec
The Partners’ Workshop at the World Hospital Congress 2023 featured representatives from major international and non-governmental healthcare organizations. Participants exchanged on ways to advance the quality and delivery of care, while improving the climate footprint of the healthcare sector. The workshop was chaired by Bertrand Levrat, CEO of the...Read more
Analysis of Patient Outcomes Following Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Closures
2023 01 Dec
Since 2005, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have implemented a series of reforms designed to limit the growth of Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals (LTCHs) and curbed the spending. This resulted in many LTCH closings. While it remained unclear whether these closured affected patient care patterns at short-stay hospitals and overall...Read more
Effective AI Tool Detects Distress in Hospital Workers
2023 02 Nov
A group of researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine led a study to demonstrate how AI successfully identified indications of mental stress in healthcare professionals. This research offers promising prospects for the future of AI-driven mental health screening initiatives. The research involved a case-control study including 820 healthcare...Read more
Levels of Intensive Care and In-Hospital Mortality in Sepsis
2023 12 Sep
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by a dysfunctional response to infection. It is a significant global health issue, with approximately 48.9 million cases and 11 million deaths annually. Sepsis accounts for nearly 30% of all ICU admissions worldwide. Previous studies have reported varying prevalence rates of ICU-treated sepsis, ranging...Read more
Patient Experiences in Hospitals Change Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
2023 31 Aug
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic posed unparalleled challenges for acute-care hospitals. To control the spread of COVID-19 infection, hospitals adopted new protocols, including social distancing and restricted visitor access. A recent cohort study looked to describe differences in 2020 to 2021 patient experiences to assess whether the...Read more
Senior Hospital Doctors in England Commence First Strike in a Decade
2023 20 Jul
Thousands of NHS senior consultants are on strike across England as of today until 7am on Saturday. The strike is expected to cause large scale disruption to patient care. This is the first time the consultants have taken part in strike action since 2012. As a result of the strike, only emergency care and a small amount of routine work,...Read more
Hospital Managers Between Crisis Management and Strategic Repositioning
2023 19 Jul
How do Germany's hospital managers view the future? Will the economic situation improve in the foreseeable future, and what trends will shape the development in the coming years? An annual hospital study surveyed managing directors and medical directors of the 600 largest hospitals in Germany. The results show that the crisis is far from over. However,...Read more
Hospitals Boost Financial Performance by Investing in Health Equity
2023 28 Mar
Hospitals that invest in community health equity – eliminating disparities in health and the factors that contribute to the exclusion of groups – can boost the financial performance and organisational culture of hospitals. The study, published in NEJM Catalyst, pointed out that “by emphasizing health, not just health care, leaders of these hospitals...Read more
#ISICEM23: Effects of Therapeutic-Dose Heparin in Hospitalised Patients With COVID-19
2023 21 Mar
At the #ISICEM23 this week in Brussels, the benefits and harms of therapeutic-dose heparin varied by hospitalised COVID-19 patient characteristics were discussed, and the importance of considering the heterogeneity of treatment effect (HTE) in the design and analysis of randomised clinical trials was highlighted. To date, RCTs that have tested...Read more
A New Hospital Type: The Rural Emergency Hospital
2023 20 Mar
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 established the rural emergency hospital to tackle the growing concerns over the closures of rural hospitals. The rural emergency hospital is an important mechanism to preserve vital access to health care services at rural hospitals which are vulnerable to closure. The aim is to streamline financial...Read more
