Practice Management
Cases of whooping cough have surged in 2024, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting at least 15,661 cases in the United States through September 21, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels. Preliminary data shows that about 5 times as many cases have been reported compared to last year, according to CDC. Pennsylvania recorded the highest number of cases at 2,087, followed by New York with 1,781. Public health experts are concerned …
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that was designed to require state approval for healthcare merger and acquisition deals involving private investors. The scrutiny was meant to increase oversight of private equity and hedge fund ownership transactions that have the potential to lead to consolidations and closures of healthcare provider operations. However, it’s important to note the reason behind the veto. Newsom reasoned that California has an existing Office of Health Care Affordability …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively looking at multiple indicators to monitor for avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses, including looking for spread of the virus to or among humans. It’s especially concerning since Missouri reported its first human case of H5N1 avian influenza in a patient who had significant underlying medical conditions but reported no exposure to animals—the typical source of such virus cases. The Missouri patient is the 14th human case …
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UMC Health System opened a new 24-hour urgent care (UC) in Lubbock, Texas, this month, and it’s a strong indicator of where growth trends may lead in 2025. While the UC market in general has gravitated to an 8AM to 8PM schedule, more extended-hours sites are emerging. Staffing remains the biggest challenge in this case, according to Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of The Journal of Urgent …
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Between January 2020 to January 2023, 18 healthcare workers were killed and another 147 were injured in incidents related to the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to findings published in Health Security. In addition, 33 workers were kidnapped, and more than 100 other incidents involved damage to facilities. Sadly, workplace violence is common in the healthcare setting, the authors note, and the published study aimed to identify incidents specifically related to the pandemic—such as aggression against …
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Memorial Hermann Health System and the Aldine, Texas, school district in the Houston area this month opened the doors of a health education trade school for high school students. The Health Education and Leadership (HEAL) High School delivers a curriculum that combines academic classes with hands-on learning for healthcare careers. Students participate in job-shadowing, simulation labs, paid healthcare internships, professional mentoring, and other work-based learning experiences, according to the school’s press release. Students choose from …
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One clue that helps forecast the forthcoming respiratory virus season in North America is the trend data from the Southern Hemisphere’s experience. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the 2024 flu season, which is winding down this month, was similar to previous flu seasons in the Southern Hemisphere—a signal that northern countries may not see any particular highs or lows in terms of severity or case numbers. Flu activity in South …
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently investigated a serious case of violations of worker safety standards that led to a 31-year-old factory employee who developed accelerated silicosis ultimately needing a double lung transplant. Other workers at the same home-products manufacturing facility in Chicago also reported unresolved lung disease from breathing silica dust, including severe illness that will require a lung transplant for at least one more employee in the future. Urgent care operators …
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According to the Department of Justice, Azhar Shakeel, MD, has settled with state and federal agencies for $619,994 to resolve a False Claims Act violation. Shakeel, who owns and operates Urgent Care of Muskogee, Urgent Care of Checotah, and Muskogee Medical Care in Oklahoma, allegedly submitted claims to several federally funded healthcare programs during times in which it was believed he was not actually in the centers seeing patients. A department press release notes that …
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A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the first time documents incidents of HIV transmission through cosmetic injection services known as “vampire facials,” which are treatments that inject a person’s own blood into their face for cosmetic purposes, such as skin rejuvenation. The services are usually delivered in spa-type environments and involve drawing a client’s blood, separating the plasma and cells, and using disposable or multi use sterile equipment …
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