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The new study on COVID-19 transmission that can help convince every patient…
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareAs a healthcare professional, you know the critical importance of face masks for stopping the spread of COVID-19. You no doubt also know that some of your patient population is not in compliance with doing so, which is a very worrisome issue. However, a brand-new study from researchers Renyi Zhang, Yixin Li, Annie L. Zhang, Yuan Wang, and Mario J. Molina, "Identifying airborne transmission as the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19," can offer you the informational support your physicians and staff need to communicate the importance of mask-wearing to these patients.
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Care specialties most affected by COVID-19 revealed
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareAs COVID-19 continues to ravage the U.S. healthcare system, reaching its viral hands into nearly every specialty, some are reeling more than others, a new study points out. The study, published in mid-June by FAIR Health, estimated the drop in healthcare utilization for nonhospital providers. As expected, elective procedures have cratered. To that end, oral surgery experienced the most significant reduction in usage in March 2020, declining 80% compared to a similar period in 2019. Gastroenterology was the second largest decline, with a 73% drop in March and a 77% decline in April.
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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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Infographic: The basics of muscle pain and how to fix it
Brian Wallace Medical & Allied HealthcareMusculoskeletal problems are often caused by working conditions and are a leading cause of disability worldwide. In the U.S., an estimated 264 million workdays are lost each year due to back pain alone. This infographic outlines the causes of pain and impact and efficacy of physical therapy and other treatments.
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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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Fitbit races to help COVID-19 patients by developing an emergency ventilator
Tammy Hinojos Medical & Allied HealthcareFitbit has secured an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA for a new device, the Fitbit Flow. It will be a low-cost emergency ventilator that can be used to help with patient needs surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Fitbit said that after seeing the tremendous need for ventilators across the nation and, indeed, around the world, it pivoted and applied its in-house brainpower in advanced sensor development and hardware design to create the Fitbit Flow.
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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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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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Dental offices lead healthcare’s job surge in May’s surprising…
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareThe U.S. economy witnessed unexpected job growth in May as state and local economies began to reopen from the pandemic shutdown. In particular, medical practices and dental offices were key drivers of this finding that surprised economists. According to the May 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) economic report, healthcare — including dentists — added more than 310,000 jobs during the month. Dental offices experienced job rebounds at rates unlike any in the sector.
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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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