Practice Management
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shares news of a risk assessment tool that is purported to predict which patients with COVID-19 will become severely ill. Derived from research at The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and reflecting data from 1,590 patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized between February 20 and March 17, 2020, the tool uses 10 variables readily available at the time of hospital admission—many of which …
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reversed an earlier guidance that suggested there was some discretion in enforcing reporting requirements when it comes to COVID-19 complaints outside of healthcare or emergency response workplaces. As of May 26, OSHA says it classifies COVID-19 as “a potentially recordable illness” and that “employers should be taking action to determine whether employee COVID-19 illnesses are work-related and thus recordable.” As more workplaces move closer to starting on-site work, …
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Some television news reports make it seem as if antibody tests for COVID-19 will be the key to reopening the economy and diminishing restrictions about group gatherings and protective measures in public spaces. A Forbes magazine piece penned by an infectious disease expert notes that the best response to that idea is probably, Not so fast. In the article, Matthew Binnicker, PhD, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic, acknowledges that while serology tests …
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Patients who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 and then declared to be “recovered” by virtue of a negative test, only to test positive again at a later time, do not appear to be infectious, according to data from the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This led the researchers to propose those “re-positive” patients could have developed antibodies that would prevent them from having active illness again. Their conclusions were based on studying …
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Gastrointestinal complaints and hepatic symptoms are more common in patients ultimately diagnosed with COVID-19 than previously thought, according to a paper to be published in the journal Gastroenterology. The research, based on retrospective study of 1,059 patients at two hospitals in New York City, reveals that 33% of patients who went on to test positive for COVID-19 had at least one GI symptom at presentation; 22% had diarrhea, 7% had abdominal pain, 16% were nauseous, …
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Newly published research indicates that remdesivir shortens disease course in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Data from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, show that patients who received a 10-day course of remdesivir had a reduced recovery time of 11 days, vs 15 days to recovery in patients who did not receive remdesivir. The findings were consistent with preliminary data released by the NIAID weeks ago.
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The decline in patients visiting urgent care centers continues to slow around the country, with most locations continuing to be open and ready to provide care—and conduct tests for COVID-19. According to the latest data emerging from the Urgent Care Association’s weekly member survey, 80% of operators say all their centers are open, with 20% reporting that only some centers remain open; none have had to close down all their locations. They’re contributing to the …
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Fears that patients could be suffering with bacterial pneumonia are driving many clinicians to prescribe antibiotics—only to discover after the fact that the patients’ symptoms are actually due to coronavirus. Those premature prescriptions are now stoking concerns that antibiotic resistance could be on the rise, according to an article published recently by MedPage Today. This all comes on the heels of a report from the General Accounting Office that indicated there has been minimal progress …
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As state governments continue to grapple with trying to keep residents safe while also making plans to reopen the economy responsibly, some governors are looking to include healthcare experts in discussions. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is one—and Velocity Urgent Care CEO Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc (who is also JUCM’s own senior editor, practice management) has been tapped to participate on the Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 Testing Advisory Council. Ayers will represent the clinical and …
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CityMD and ChoiceOne are among the growing numbers of urgent care operators who are offering no-cost COVID-19 to uninsured individuals at certain locations. New York City has estimated that CityMD is conducting 6,000 tests at 123 locations every day, currently. The city plans to deploy an “army of tracers” to follow up with contacts of those who test positive in the near future. Meanwhile, ChoiceOne is offering free testing to patients in its Baltimore, Caroline, …
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