The Federal Communications Commission has advanced its wireless health care agenda by adopting rules that will enable Medical Body Area Networks (MBANs), low-power wideband 
networks consisting of multiple body-worn sensors that transmit a variety of patient data to a control device. MBAN devices free patients from cumbersome cables that tether them to their hospital bed. MBANs provide a cost effective way to monitor every patient in a healthcare institution, so clinicians can provide real-time and accurate data, allowing them to intervene and save lives.

Communication and collaboration are critical elements of success for effective work environments, particularly in health care. When these elements break down, the result can be a cascade of negative events. Yet when collaboration is strong, it reaps positive benefits on the workplace culture and patient outcomes.

Smiths Medical, a leading global medical device manufacturer, announced on April 23 that its ViaValve Safety I.V. Catheter has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and can be marketed in the United States.

The National Quality Forum (NQF) Board of Directors has endorsed two measures that address all-cause unplanned readmissions in hospitals – an area of healthcare targeted for improvement given national imperatives to make healthcare safer, more affordable, and keep people healthy.

Phytel, the leader in physician-led population health improvement, and the Joslin Diabetes Center, a Harvard Medical School affiliate in the forefront of the fight against diabetes, recently announced their collaboration on a landmark research initiative to compare the accuracy and predictive value of current assessment methodologies for continuing medical education (CME) programs. The results will be used to inform ongoing efforts to improve diabetes care.

Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois—Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn.; Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y.; Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York; City; St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, Pontiac, Mich.; and The Connecticut Hospice, Inc. in Branford, Conn. have become the first hospitals across the country to receive Advanced Certification for Palliative Care from The Joint Commission.

Denver—The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has published an Implementation Guide for the Recommended practices for prevention of retained surgical items (RSIs).