Improvements have been seen in patient safety at US hospitals over the last decade, according to a report from the Leapfrog Group. Safety improvements saved an estimated 16,000 lives over the period; trauma and fall incidents declined by about 25%, as did incidents of unintentional objects left in the body after surgery; and cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, central line-associated bloodstream infection and Clostridioides difficile infection also decreased.

A report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control found that cases of infection with Acinetobacter and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria have increased significantly in European hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to outbreaks in ICUs and in other European Union countries. Some scientists have noted that the increase may be due to a rise in antibiotics prescribed to patients with COVID-19 and other infections.

New ensemble projections from the CDC predict daily COVID-19 hospitalizations will rise in the US in the next four weeks and will likely reach between 2,000 and 9,000 on Dec. 9, while COVID-19-related deaths are projected to remain stable or see an uncertain trend during the period. Meanwhile, a Mayo Clinic model predicts the average daily number of new COVID-19 cases will jump to 57,441 by Dec. 2, up 51.5% from 37,912 on Nov. 18, while the nationwide case rate is projected to climb from 12.9 to 17.5 cases per 100,000 people during the same period.

Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, also called escape variants for their immune evasiveness, were responsible for 49.7% of COVID-19 cases combined in the US for the week ending Nov. 19, while the previously dominant BA.5 subvariant accounted for 24% of cases, according to the latest CDC estimates. The nationwide seven-day average for newly reported COVID-19 cases dropped 3.2% to 40,102 and the weekly average for COVID-19 deaths declined 5.3% to 317 as of Wednesday, while the seven-day hospitalization average fell 4.4% to 3,308 for the week ending Nov. 15.

A Healthcare Financial Management Association survey commissioned by AKASA found that around one-third of chief financial officers and revenue cycle leaders at hospitals and health systems calculate return on investment on revenue cycle management automation in-house, while a little more than a third said they calculate ROI monthly and 26.4% did so quarterly, and around 18% indicated that ROI would not be calculated until RCM automation is fully implemented or on an as-needed basis.

Health care executives expect to see revenue growth from value-based care contracts in the next three to five years, with the largest growth to be seen in Medicaid and capitation arrangements, as a result of new contracting opportunities and market pressures from the government and health insurers to switch to value-based care, according to a KLAS survey of 54 executives. Respondents expect participation in Medicare Advantage, commercial plans, bundled payments and Medicare Shared Savings Program to remain high, and while most poll respondents hailed from more progressive organizations, around half said they get one-fifth of less of their revenue from value-based reimbursements, while those in clinically integrated networks and accountable care organizations get more than 90% of revenue from value-based reimbursements.

Australian researchers from Centenary Institute and University of Sydney have tested a new nasal vaccine in mice that has the potential to be a powerful tool for enhancing protection against COVID-19 infection. The vaccine was made up of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and an adjuvant called Pam2Cys that could increase T-cell responses in the lungs and airways of mice and prompt substantial levels of neutralizing antibodies.

A long-term study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that high-density lipoprotein levels in the blood may not be as predictive of heart disease risk as previously thought, and low HDL levels were associated with greater odds of developing heart disease in white patients but not in Black patients. White individuals with HDL levels measuring less than 40 mg/dL carried a 22% higher coronary heart disease risk than people with higher HDL levels.

Research presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions found that highly purified eicosapentaenoic acid demonstrated marginal statistical significance in lowering the risk for adverse cardiovascular events in patients with chronic coronary artery disease being treated with statin therapy and with low EPA/arachidonic acid ratio. "In terms of our patients with residual risk, we should still consider EPA as a molecule to institute for these patients," said Dr. Pam Taub from the University of California at San Diego.

The Prioritizing Health column in the latest issue of Cardiology magazine provides tips to enjoy a heart healthy holiday with family and friends. Tips include staying active, revamping recipes by using low-sodium and low-fat/fat-free milk, letting the vegetables take a starring role on your plate, and more. Also don't miss the Cardiology team's favorite recipes, such as lemon garlic green beans with sliced almonds. Read the full article.

Patients considering implantation of an ICD for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death must undergo a shared decision-making conversation as directed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Determination. Join speakers Pirooz Mofrad, MD, FACC, and James Vavricek for a webinar on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 12 p.m. ET to hear about methods for approaching shared decision-making and learn more about ACC's tools, including the EP Device Implant Registry and CardioSmart patient resources, to support shared decision-making. Learn more.

In observance of Thanksgiving in the US, SmartBrief will not publish Thursday, Nov. 24.