SPOTLIGHT -
Interoperability: Is the glass half full or half empty?
New ONC report highlights progress, challenges in promoting interoperability
How stress from COVID differs from burnout
Doctors weren’t prepared for the feelings of helplessness during COVID.
Alternative board certification group advances
NBPAS added to Joint Commission’s list of accepted organizations for verifying provider credentials
Fragmented care stalls progress in diabetes reduction
More financial incentives for high-value services, greater data interoperability are needed to address problem
New billing codes for monkeypox testing, vaccines unveiled
Codes enable billing for lab tests, administering vaccines
Childcare concerns stress health care workers during pandemic
Study finds more depression, burnout as worries over childcare increase
Health care data breaches decline, but threats remain
Growth in remote work, cloud data storage present opportunities for hackers
Medical schools must do more to help poor and marginalized students graduate
Study finds higher attrition rates among those with low incomes or from groups underrepresented in medicine
Physicians groups urge fuller integration of behavioral health, primary care
Stress created by COVID-19 pandemic strengthens need for “whole-person care,” they say
Remote patient monitoring programs could reduce COVID-related hospitalizations
Study finds RPM associated with shorter hospital stays, less intensive care use
How are Medicare patients using interstate telehealth visits?
Most are established patients getting treatment for routine diagnoses
Night shift work reduces doctors’ empathy for pain: study
Physicians found to prescribe less pain medication during the night than the day
Why primary care doctors are leaving revenue on the table
Study finds greater use of prevention, care coordination codes could bolster practices' bottom lines
Report finds flaws in Medicare race, ethnicity data
Errors impede efforts to overcome disparities in health care access and outcomes
ACP: revamp health care payments to improve equity, reduce outcome disparities
Internists group advocates greater use of prospective payment models, less reliance on fee-for-service in primary care
How one doctor is supporting Ukraine by providing medical supplies
A Cleveland, Ohio internist explains how he leverages his ties to local physicians and the Ukrainian community and to provide vital medical equipment to that beleagured nation.
Changing APM payment strategy could improve provider participation, MedPAC says
Recommendation for a population-based approach is part of annual MedPAC report to Congress
Poverty is a health threat: AMA
Association says inflation-adjusted minimum wage laws would reduce poverty and improve health, especially among communities of color.
Medicaid expansion hasn’t lessened race-based care disparities, study finds
Black enrollees receive lower spending, have fewer primary care visits than whites
Medical groups demand lawmakers act to reduce gun violence
Organizations representing doctors and hospitals call for stricter controls on gun sales, raising age limit for buying semi-automatic weapons
Rural health care challenges go beyond a lack of doctors
Study finds financial, cultural barriers to care common among rural residents
Internists career choices point to more primary care availability woes
Most younger doctors now going into hospital medicine, study finds
Behavior of patients and family members contributes to physician burnout
Verbal abuse, discrimination towards doctors is common, study finds
Organizational support during pandemic strengthens loyalty, reduces burnout among internists
Nearly one in eight report report high levels of moral distress, study finds
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine prevented more than 100,000 U.S. deaths in 2021, study finds
Nearly 9 million symptomatic cases also avoided
Race, ethnicity affect non-COVID death rates during pandemic
Drug overdoses, suicide and homicide also have been significant causes of death
Heart attack outcomes vary widely among wealthy nations, study finds
U.S. has second-highest mortality rate, but ranks well in hospital readmissions
Medicare beneficiaries in poor neighborhoods helped most by waived telemedicine restrictions, study finds
Minorites also saw gains in access to care compared to Whites
Creating diverse teams takes work, but is worth the effort
Organizations that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion are more productive and employees are more satisfied
Private equity growth threatens quality, costs of health care
Lawmakers must act to reduce incentives for PE firms to acquire medical practices