Business of Medicine News

• Healthcare Workers Ask OSHA for More Oversight on COVID-19 Safety With such minimal oversight from OSHA, some union leaders and legislators say it's actually more dangerous than not having workplace safety enforcement at all.
  Medscape Medical News, October 23, 2020
• Opinion: Bailout US Cancer Care The authors argue that 'ensuring the short-term solvency of independent practices is critical to preserving patients' access to cancer care.'
  Medscape Medical News, October 23, 2020
• Trump and Biden Face Off Over COVID-19, ACA in Final Debate Healthcare once again had its time in the spotlight in the final debate between the two leading presidential candidates in Nashville.
  Medscape Medical News, October 23, 2020
• COVID-19 Vaccine Standards Questioned at FDA Advisory Meeting FDA advisers on Thursday heard calls for changes in how the agency plans to review applications for clearance of COVID-19 vaccines.
  Medscape Medical News, October 22, 2020
• Deaths After Flu Shots in S Korea Fan Fears, but Authorities Find No Link Nine people died after getting flu shots in South Korea in the past week, raising concerns over the vaccine's safety as the seasonal inoculation program expanded to head off COVID-19 complications.
  Reuters Health Information, October 21, 2020
• How the Direction of Healthcare Could Change After the Election Experts break down various election outcome scenarios and what it will mean for healthcare policy.
  Medscape Medical News, October 22, 2020
• Acute Care Measure Could Reduce Hospital Readmission Penalties Adding 'excess days in acute care' to 30-day readmission may reduce HRRP penalties and offer a more comprehensive view of costs. Meanwhile, CMS chief says only five of 54 payment models save money.
  Medscape Medical News, October 22, 2020
• Fertility Journal Editors Oppose Supreme Court Nominee Barrett's signature on a 2006 ad is stoking concerns about how attempts to outlaw abortion could potentially reduce access to IVF, leading a medical journal to oppose her Supreme Court nomination.
  Medscape Medical News, October 22, 2020
• Clinicians, Med Students Help Patients Register to Vote Participants in a nationwide, nonpartisan movement see connecting patients with election information as vital to helping people navigate their lives.
  Medscape Medical News, October 22, 2020
• DOJ Announces Guilty Pleas, $8B Settlement in Purdue Opioid Cases The US Department of Justice today announced global criminal and civil resolution of investigations into Purdue Pharmaceutical and the Sackler family for opioid-related misconduct.
  News Alerts, October 21, 2020
• Patients Can Read Your Clinical Notes Starting Nov 2 Traditionally, clinical notes have been written by doctors for other doctors and various administrators, but a federal mandate now gives patients immediate and easy access too.
  Medscape Medical News, October 21, 2020
• NY Mulls Travel Rules as Neighboring States Hit Threshold New York may have to consider changes to its quarantine rules for out-of-state travelers now that two of its closest neighbors, Connecticut and New Jersey, are on the brink of getting added to the list of places subject to the restrictions.
  Medscape Medical News, October 20, 2020
• Educational Debt of Med School Grads Levels Off: AAMC Report In contrast, the cost of attending medical schools has risen rapidly; a quarter of graduates came from affluent families.
  Medscape Medical News, October 20, 2020
• Popularity of Virtual Conferences May Mean a Permanent Shift Turning in-person medical meetings into online events in the wake of the pandemic levelled the playing field for people who haven't traditionally had access to such meetings.
  Medscape Medical News, October 19, 2020
• UVA Health Seizing Patients' Home Equity Property liens are the hidden icebergs of patient medical debt, legal experts say, lying unseen, often for decades, before they surface to claim hard-won family savings or inheritance proceeds.
  Kaiser Health News, October 19, 2020
• Doctors: Lonely and Burned Out in COVID-19. How Are They Coping? A recent Medscape survey found high levels of loneliness, stress, and burnout in physicians during COVID-19. Isolation and relationship stress add to the problem.
  Medscape Medical News, October 19, 2020
• Fellowship Training and COVID: Obstacles and Opportunities The pandemic is an opportunity to assess clinical competency vs metrics, with the pivot from hands-on training to virtual solutions. But most agree that there is no replacement for human connection.
  Medscape Medical News, October 19, 2020
• Joint Commission Issues Telehealth Safety Advisory However, the advisory focuses mostly on the pandemic and leaves out a big chunk of what affects safe practices in virtual encounters.
  Medscape Medical News, October 16, 2020
• Outpatient Visits Rebound for Most Specialties to Pre-COVID Levels Dermatology saw the largest increase, while pulmonology visits were still down 20% from early March.
  Medscape Medical News, October 16, 2020
• Has Trump’s Case Affected Your Impression of COVID-19? Just over a week after President Trump announced he had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, the White House doctor said the president was 'no longer considered a transmission risk to others.'
  Medscape Reader Polls, October 16, 2020