Practice Management
Even with caseloads remaining low in much of the U.S. and states continuing to relax protective restrictions, two realities remain inescapable as the COVID-19 pandemic continues: 1) The Delta variant is associated with approximately double the risk of hospitalization compared with the Alpha variant, per a research letter just published by The Lancet and 2) persistent refusal by residents of certain states puts us all at risk for the Delta variant to become the dominant …
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People have been shut out of so many activities for so long that they may not be aware of how prepared (or unprepared) they are for minor emergencies. Fortunately, viewers of WFMY in Greensboro, NC had the chance to be reminded of items that are essential for a summer first aid kit by Philip Lamptey, MD, medical director of Cone Health’s Urgent Care Division recently. Dr. Lamptey appeared live on one of the station’s news …
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It’s so simple that it may be impossible to resist: A PA has a follow-up question for a physician regarding Patient A right after the physician heads for her car; he shoots her a text so he can move on to the next patient. But hold on—is it a HIPAA violation if he uses his personal device? What about using cell phones or tablets to order office supplies—does that put company resources at risk? While …
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One of the knocks on development of the COVID-19 vaccines, from the public’s perspective, is that the process went so fast that people are convinced corners were cut. Many are simply afraid the vaccines aren’t safe. However, an article just published by JAMA Network indicates that the more patients are counseled on the vaccines, the more trusting and less hesitant they become. Participants in the Understanding America Study (UAS) of U.S. adults, conducted between October …
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The joy over reengaging with others and seeing local economies start to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic could be very short-lived if vaccination rates don’t increase—and soon, according to Scott Gottlieb, MD, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. In an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation, Gottlieb predicted that transmission of the Delta variant of the virus, which JUCM News readers may recall has been shown in multiple studies to be more transmissible …
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People have been separated not only from many loved ones over the past year and a half, but also from many cherished outdoor activities and adventures. Now that so many pandemic-related restrictions have been lifted, schools are out, and summer is officially here Americans are venturing out into nature again with a vengeance. The problem is, sometimes nature can be a high-risk environment. Whether they’re on or in the water, playing tennis, mountain climbing, or …
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When a 6-year-old boy with a slight fever and thigh pain was brought to an urgent care center for evaluation, there were no red flags for anything ominous. The physician who saw the boy suspected nothing more than an infection, for which she prescribed an antibiotic. When the patient and his parents returned the next day to report that while the fever was gone the boy was still in pain, the physician ordered an x-ray. …
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Approval under the current Emergency Use Authorization for children ages 12 years and older to receive a COVID-19 vaccine was heralded as an important step forward in taming the pandemic. Some experts are now questioning the wisdom of doing so, however. An editorial in the British Medical Journal goes as far as to state that vaccinating children is “hard to justify right now for most children in most countries,” based mainly on the belief that …
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While the clinical team has had its hands full focusing on treating and trying to protect patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has maintained its focus on urgent care centers and other medical facilities as worksites. Now, having had more than a year to assess things, the agency has issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) designed to limit the risk of revitalizing the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers. It requires …
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By now, most Americans who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (which amounts to most Americans) have probably gotten it—unless they have opted not to. That can prove problematic from more than just a public health perspective when employers try to force the issue. Anecdotally, we’ve learned that a surprisingly high number of healthcare workers have refused to be immunized. So, it should be of interest that a federal judge in Texas just dismissed …
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