Practice Management
Data breaches cost the United States healthcare system $6.2 billion in 2016, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Breaking the numbers down to the facility level over the entire survey period (2016–2018), HHS notes the average cost to each healthcare organization that experienced a breach was $2.2 million. If you haven’t been hit with a breach, consider yourself extremely lucky; roughly 80% of physicians have. HHS recommends taking …
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As predictions of high winds and flooding made headlines over the weekend, Louisiana urgent care centers who expected to see the brunt of the storm did their best to spread the word that they’d be closing up shop until the most dangerous conditions subsided. Local media carried reports of what healthcare facilities in general would be accessible, and operations such as Lafayette General Health got the word out through social media, as well, including updates …
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Half the states in the U.S. have already reported cases of West Nile virus this year. While the total number of cases is only 39, the concerning part is that West Nile “season” is generally considered to be the entire month of August. The fact that it’s already on the radar of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could be a sign that it will be a heavy year. The type of disease identified …
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A 27-year-old man presents with pain and swelling along the ulnar aspect of his left hand. Asked when the symptoms began, he reluctantly reports that he punched a wall earlier in the day. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be.
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Cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) have not matched recent outbreaks of influenza and measles in numbers or potential for fatalities, but may be more confounding for physicians and public health officials for one simple reason: While we understand flu and measles and have a bead on why more cases are occurring, AFM continues to be somewhat of a mystery. With the peak season (late summer into early autumn) for new cases of AFM approaching, …
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JUCM, the Urgent Care Association, the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, and countless state and local health agencies have been beating the “antibiotic stewardship” drum for quite some time now, as data continue to show the high prevalence of drug-resistant organisms (and the equally high cost, in terms of resultant hospitalizations and deaths). New data from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) show awareness and stewardship interventions can be effective in curbing inappropriate use …
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Readers of JUCM News may recall that the World Health Organization officially declared burnout to be a “workplace phenomenon” recently. Now a study conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists reveals something that is arguably even more alarming: 74% of Americans—your patients—are worried that the healthcare providers treating them could be suffering from burnout. An even higher percentage (80%) believe that burnout diminishes the quality of care an …
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First, the irrefutable statistics: The percentage of primary care positions filled by fourth-year medical students this year was the lowest ever (41%), according to the 2019 National Resident Matching Program. Given that this year also saw the highest number of primary care openings on record (8,116), the potential for a serious shortfall is more than evident. For purposes of categorizing subspecialties, the Match considers “primary care” to encompass internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics—notably, not …
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High-profile cases have made it clear that sexual assaults are more common than many of us may have assumed. We’re no longer “safe” to assume that if we haven’t heard more about them, they’re simply not happening. On the flip side, victims of sexual assault may now be more empowered to come forward earlier. Some may get themselves to the emergency room, or call the police as a first step. Because of the expectation of …
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The opioid crisis in the United States has moved many healthcare facilities, providers, and governing bodies to consider just how often (and for how long) it’s really necessary to prescribe narcotics for acute pain. If new data just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association are any indication, the correct answer may be, “not very often.” In this study, researchers compared three different opioids vs one opioid-free analgesic for relief of severe, acute …
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