Practice

Federal government-imposed travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are getting both looser and tighter at the same time. Gone is the ban on incoming travelers from 33 other countries—provided those visitors are fully vaccinated. At the same time, however, the new regulations make it harder for unvaccinated American citizens to reenter the country. Whereas previously they could get on a U.S.-bound plane if they could show proof of a negative test within 3 days …

News that COVID-19 cases and related deaths are falling in some parts of the country coincides with fall festival season—meaning more of your prospective patients are going to be milling around blocked-off Main Street perusing crafts and sipping on apple cider. With the pandemic still simmering, however, such community events are also a timely opportunity to offer not only COVID-19 vaccine, but also flu shots. Consensus is that we dodged a “twindemic” last year largely …

The fact that COVID-19 cases in adults continue to occur in great numbers—and (mainly unvaccinated) patients continue to die—may overshadow the fact that the rate of new cases nationally is dropping. As of October 6, according to data collected by The New York Times from state and local health agencies, new daily cases are now at their lowest point since August 6 of this year. This has led Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food …

Scrubs? Traditional white coat (with a dress shirt and tie for men or a blouse and a skirt for women, or more casual)? How about a polo with your facility’s logo emblazoned on the chest? It’s not just a matter of what you’re comfortable wearing, or your employer’s dress code. Patients get definite perceptions of the care they’re about to receive based on your sartorial choices—to the extent that they may trust you more or …

Vaccination and taking responsible safety measures have done much to reduce risk for infection with COVID-19, and probably done just as much to ease anxiety over getting sick with the virus. Even if a patient doesn’t come within a mile of an infected person, though, it’s getting more likely that the pandemic will have an adverse effect on their healthcare and on your ability to run a smooth operation. According to a report from Reuters, …

It’s no secret that there are inequities in delivery of healthcare in the United States. Those who reside in rural areas and people of color, in particular, are underserved when it comes to medical care. This has been further proven by the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on various populations. Blue Cross Blue Shield thinks one solution may be establishing urgent care and other healthcare facilities within communities where there are high densities of a particular …

Shakespeare may have opined that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” but a new report from JAMA Network Open reveals that the words you choose when speaking with patients matter a great deal—to the extent that they can actually affect healthcare quality and patients’ opinions of you as a provider. Researchers who looked at 600 patient encounters involving 138 physicians discovered six ways that physicians express “positive” feelings (eg, compliments, approval, …

Whether it’s fear of getting infected or just a refusal to wait for hours while patients who are concerned they could have COVID-19 take precedence, too many people with chronic illness are shying away from the emergency room when they are having an acute experience these days. An article published recently in Medscape Medical News detailed the story of several patients who fear that their local hospital just won’t have room for them when they …

As many parts of the country approach caseloads and transmission rates similar to what they faced at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, some urgent care centers are likewise returning to emergency procedures they established to help reduce risk for infection of patients and staff. Cook Children’s Hospital in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, for one, is closing many of its centers earlier than usual, funneling late-night patients to a single location. They’re also keeping patients …

Hospital systems in Texas are so overwhelmed with patients presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 that many operators have opted to close offsite emergency rooms in order to more fully staff EDs at their main sites—possibly leaving communities in the lurch when they need walk-in care not related to the virus. According to a report from the Associated Press, Memorial Hermann Health System, St. Luke’s Health, Texas Health Hospital, and Hunt Regional Healthcare all temporarily closed …