Editor's Note This study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that Black patients used telemedicine platforms more often than White patients for ambulatory surgical care during Phase 2 of COVID-19. During Phase 1 (March 24 through June 23), there were 347 in-person and 638 virtual…

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The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons projects that total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) procedures will increase to 635,000 and 1.28 million, respectively, by 2030. That leads to a tremendous amount of Episode of Care opportunities. How can we as clinicians ensure the best possible experience for…

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Editor's Note This study from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio, finds that patients residing in vulnerable communities characterized by a high social vulnerability index (SVI) had worse postoperative outcomes, and the impact was most pronounced in Black/minority patients. In this analysis…

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Editor's Note This survey study by the RAND Corporation finds that participants were willing to use telehealth for visits but preferred in-person care, and those who preferred telehealth were more sensitive to out-of-pocket costs. Of 2,080 survey participants, 66.5% preferred at least some telehealth visits in the future, but 53%…

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Editor's Note About half of patients with appendicitis do not need an appendectomy for up to 4 years after receiving antibiotics, finds this study presented October 25 at the American College of Surgeons virtual Clinical Congress 2021. The study was conducted at 25 US medical centers in 1,552 adults with…

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Editor's Note This study from the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that the transition to incorporate virtual care into ambulatory healthcare during COVID-19 was not associated with an increased overall number of visits. The researchers identified 10,559,857 ambulatory visits by 1,530,772 patients at their large New…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, identifies three themes centered on trust and addressing barriers to COVID-19 vaccine access in Black and Latinx communities in the US. The study involved 72 participants—56 women, 16 men, 36 Black, 28 Latinx, and 8…

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Editor's Note In this study presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in San Diego, researchers found that orthopedic surgical patients had a higher level of satisfaction with telehealth visits than surgeons, the September 16 Healio Orthopedics Today reports. Of 107 patients and six surgeons surveyed, approximately…

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Telehealth services grew exponentially in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall telehealth utilization for office visits and outpatient care was 78 times higher in April 2020 than in February 2020, according to a McKinsey & Company July 2021 report. Since then, telehealth utilization has stabilized at levels that…

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Editor's Note ECRI and its affiliate, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), announced on September 14 that they will be joining leaders around the globe in celebrating World Patient Safety Day, September 17, 2021. To support this year’s theme, “Safe Maternal and Newborn Care,” ECRI and ISMP developed an…

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