The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued guidance for statin use that reaffirmed a 2016 recommendation, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Louisiana, and Virginia.

• District of Columbia: USPSTF on Tuesday published new guidelines for statin use that reaffirmed a 2016 task force recommendation. Under the guidelines, doctors should continue prescribing statins to adults ages 40 to 75 if they have at least one cardiovascular risk factor and an estimated risk of at least 10% for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the next 10 years. In addition, doctors can choose to prescribe statins to adults ages 40 to 75 who have at least one risk factor and an estimated 10-year CVD risk of 7.5% or higher. Due to a lack of evidence, individuals over the age of 75 are excluded from the task force's recommendation. Some clinicians have voiced concern that the recommendations are not broad enough to include everyone who could benefit from statins, arguing that the 10-year guidelines may prevent some people who could benefit from the drug from receiving it. "Waiting for a person to reach an age when their 10-year predicted (cardiovascular disease) risk exceeds a certain arbitrary threshold before recommending a statin allows atherosclerosis to proceed unchecked for decades," University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers Ann Marie Navar and Eric Peterson wrote in a JAMA editorial. (Dreher, Axios, 8/23)

• Louisiana: Loyola University announced an accelerated bachelor of science in nursing degree that will launch this spring to help meet the growing need for nurses. The accelerated program, which will take 17 months to complete, is designed for people who are changing careers and people who already have a bachelor's degree but still need science credits and clinical placements before they can start practicing. The program will instruct students through online learning and in-person clinical hours with local partners in the New Orleans area. According to the university, the program was created to help make the nursing profession accessible. Enrollment for the spring 2023 academic term is currently open. (Davis, HealthLeaders, 8/22)

• Virginia: University of Virginia (UVA) Health System on Tuesday appointed Babur Lateef chair of its health system board. The board manages the UVA Medical Center, UVA School of Medicine, UVA School of Nursing, UVA Community Health, and UVA Physicians Group. Lateef, who has served on the board of visitors and the health system's board since 2016, was appointed by Whitt Clement, chair of the university's board of visitors. (Kayser, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/23)