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Pandemic leads to calls for increased domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing
Bambi Majumdar PharmaceuticalThe emergence of the COVID-19 crisis has revealed the glaring truth and danger of how dependent the U.S. is on pharmaceutical imports. Critical shortages of vital pharma and medical resources have hindered the federal government's pandemic response efforts. Experts now say it's time to reduce the reliance on other countries that America has built up over decades in this sector.
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COVID-19 testing costs make a huge impact as payers wrestle with 2021 premium…
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareAs uncertainty continues to surround COVID-19 and its impact on care and health systems, two new thorns are beginning to dig into the conversations about healthcare's future: costs of testing and planning for insurance rates despite the current chaos. According to a report commissioned by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), diagnostic testing for COVID-19 may creep past $25.1 billion annually. Meanwhile, antibody testing costs could touch more than $19 billion.
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Infographic: Boosting your immune system — Fact vs. fiction
Brian Wallace Medical & Allied HealthcareDuring the pandemic, attention has turned to how we can stay as healthy as possible, meaning the immune system is at the forefront of many people's minds. This infographic looks at what exactly the immune system is and breaks down some popular recommendations about how to boost it.
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Being so sensitive in a world that is sometimes not
Lisa Cole Mental HealthcareWhen my physical therapist told me years ago I was a "delicate, little flower," I flat out denied it. I'd always thought of myself as strong, powerful and indestructible. Don't we all? Hearteningly, there are other "sensitives" out there. Think about the artists, outliers and geeks you know. All of us “sensitives” need strategies to safeguard ourselves living in a world that sometimes is not. How do we do this? Here are four suggestions.
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How a new study can help doctors identify COVID-19 infections faster
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareOutpatient presentations of COVID-19 remain a tricky management challenge for all healthcare professionals. When it comes to quickly triaging a patient, you need your evaluation to be as accurate as possible, especially when that patient's symptoms may or may not traditionally fit testing criteria — or if your organization has testing kit shortages. Good news: fresh research from Harvard Medical School may be able to help you determine which presenting patients need further COVID-19 workups and which patients may have another condition.
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Pediatric mental health ED visits spike during recent years
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareWhile the number of overall pediatric emergency departments visits has remained stable over the past decade, the number of children who have presented with mental health disorders has increased by 60% and cases of self-harm have skyrocketed by 329%. "We're seeing more and more children presenting with mental health disorders," said Dr. Rachel Stanley, chief of emergency medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Stanley authored a study published in the journal Pediatrics that sheds light on emergency department utilization for mental health symptoms among patients between the ages of 5 and 17.
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What to say when someone dies
Lisa Cole Mental HealthcareFrom the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, early in April, a physician wrote a note I found to be very profound and moving. Right after receiving it, I got a ping asking, "What do you say to someone when their loved one just died?" The same question came the next day and, again, the day after. People were and are flailing in this deluge of death. Here's what I've found to be helpful to say when someone dies.
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Infographic: The power of sleep
Brian Wallace Medical & Allied HealthcareSleep is crucial to our health and well-being, but 77% of American adults haven’t been sleeping as well since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This infographic outlines why sleep is so important and provides tips to get better rest.
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Heart attack, stroke patients are avoiding the ER due to COVID-19 concerns
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareThe number of heart attack patients treated at U.S. hospital emergency rooms decreased by nearly half during the pandemic. That statistic has health officials worried that people are avoiding care because they are afraid of contracting COVID-19 at a hospital. Kaiser Permanente researchers reviewed heart attack treatments at its Northern California hospitals before and after the first COVID-19 death was reported on March 4. The 4.4 million records showed the number of ER treatments dropped by 48% once pandemic-related deaths started occurring.
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Medical practices are up against it as they struggle to retain patients,…
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareFor some more than others, the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. Still, medical practices remain at the center of battling the virus as they treat patients. They also face personal financial pressures like many of their American counterparts. More than half of clinicians (55%) fear another wave of the virus. They are stressed because of potentially limited access to testing and personal protective equipment, according to a survey of 730 primary care clinicians in 49 states and Washington, D.C.
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