Editor's Note On June 13, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued new guidance for HIPPA-covered healthcare providers and health plans to comply with privacy, security, and breach notification requirements when using remote communication technologies to provide “audio-only” telehealth services, the American Hospital…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds that childcare-related employment disruptions increased by nearly one-third in 2020 and was higher in caregivers for children with special healthcare needs, low-income families, and children from racial and ethnic minority groups. Included in the study were…

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Editor's Note For the ninth year in a row, Boston Children’s Hospital is ranked the best children’s hospital in the country, the June 14 US News reports. The publication looked at 119 children’s hospitals across the country and ranked them in 10 specialties, incorporating data on patient outcomes, health equity,…

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Editor's Note New research from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), via the 2022 edition of MGMA DataDive Provider Compensation, revealed that compensation for all physicians is on the rise, PR Newswire May 24 reports. The data comprises more than 192,000 providers across more than 7,700 physician-owned and hospital-owned organizations…

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  Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, find that the use of eye protection by health care workers (HCWs) is important in preventing patient-to-HCW transmission of COVID-19. Of 345 HCWs who had a significant occupational exposure to patients with COVID-19, nurses accounted for 55.8%,…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 10 announced that it will no longer require international travelers to have a negative COVID-19 test before flying to the US, effective June 12. The CDC continues to recommend that travelers flying to the US get tested as…

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Editor's Note A systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Psychiatry on April 13 shows that even small amounts of low-intensity physical activity can decrease risk of depression among adults, JAMA Network June 7 reports. The analysis included 15 cohort studies comprising 191,130 participants. The researchers estimated that if adults…

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Editor's Note The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA Pain Medicine) developed and published on May 23 recommendations clinicians should take during the current shortage of the iodinated contrast medium (ICM) iohexol. Contrast medium, according to ASRA Pain Medicine, is used to confirm accurate needle placement and…

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Editor's Note This simulation study, led by researchers at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, finds that reuse of N95 masks can result in contamination of those wearing the masks and the environment, even when correct technique is used. A total of 12 healthcare workers (HCWs) performed 3…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 8 identified the recall by Medtronic of its HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) Pump Implant Kit as Class I, the most serious. The HVAD System is used as a bridge to cardiac transplants. The Kit was recalled because of a…

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