MultiBriefs - Your source for industry specific News Briefs

Pharmacists gear up for the heart of flu season

Jason Poquette Pharmaceutical

Last winter, there were nearly twice the number of deaths from the flu as are typically expected during a "bad" year. The reason for the significant increase in deaths last year is likely due to the fact that the strain appears to have mutated just prior to the flu season, making the available vaccine only about 40 percent effective. Pharmacists and pharmacies are gearing up, ordering in supplies of the influenza vaccine along with other antiviral medication, like Tamiflu.

Digital health tech has a bright future, but is slow to burn

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

Digital health solution technologies are the thing of dreams for physicians and patients, who expect digital technologies will "reshape healthcare" in the future, but we’re not yet to the point where intent and adoption can meet, according to the preliminary results from a new Ernst & Young (EY) global survey. EY surveyed 6,000 consumers and 500 physicians in Australia, England and the Netherlands to gauge their support for and use of digital health tools. The technology is being billed as capable of improving outcomes and even enhancing communication between physicians and their patients.

Help your patients comply with getting vaccinated easily

Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied Healthcare

As a primary care physician, you know the importance of making sure all of your patients are properly immunized — but in today's healthcare climate, compliance is sometimes tough to come by. Some patients don't remember they need to come in for a shot; other patients question the safety and necessity of vaccinations due to media reports. The good news: there are simple and highly effective steps you can take to ensure your patients understand the medical purpose of their essential vaccinations, and comply with receiving them.

Intellectual property protections grow under USMCA

Seth Sandronsky Civil & Government

A revised 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, dubbed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, pleases the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). "The successful conclusion of the USMCA is a significant step toward leveling the playing field with our trading partners by delivering strong IP (intellectual property) protections for American manufacturers and innovators," said PhRMA President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl. Public Citizen, based in Washington, D.C., takes a less cheery view of the renegotiated IP for biologics under the USMCA.

Safer strategies for patient care transitions

Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare Administration

Patient handoffs at every hospital are a constant fact of life — as an administrator, your aim is, of course, to make them as seamless as possible. Yet so many elements can go awry during any care transition. If your healthcare workers don't utilize proper communication and procedural protocol, confusion and medical errors can occur, unfortunately. Great news, though: the following research-proven strategies can protect your patients physically as they move from one provider to another, ease their stress levels regarding medical instructions, and improve comprehension of their treatment.

Study: Medicare outpatients sicker, have lower incomes than patients treated…

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

Medicare patients who receive care in a hospital outpatient department are likely poorer and have more severe, chronic conditions than Medicare patients treated in independent physician offices, a study by the American Hospital Association (AHA) found. The findings of this study seem to show why proposals under consideration by Congress to reimburse hospitals the same amount as physicians’ offices "could threaten access to care for the most vulnerable patients and communities," the AHA said in a statement.

Innovative ways telemedicine can benefit your patients

Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied Healthcare

Using videoconferencing equipment to diagnose and evaluate patients at an ER or clinic is a well-established way to help patients experiencing a medical emergency. Yet, research has also now established that telemedicine can also help patients dealing with chronic conditions manage their treatment much more easily. This will save both patients and doctors time and money. Adapt these proven facts about telemedicine to benefit your organization's patients more effectively.

The necessary work of disrupting healthcare

Keith Carlson Medical & Allied Healthcare

As in other industries, change is a constant in healthcare. New medications, treatments, and technologies continue to emerge at breakneck speed: robotics and artificial intelligence, EMRs/EHRs, video-based medical appointments, and other innovations have altered various aspects of healthcare management and delivery. Still, this particular industry can feel unadventurous, old, and out of touch when it comes to long lines in ER waiting rooms, the ubiquitously disappointing 15-minute doctor visit, and the cost of prescription drugs and health insurance.

Decreasing the risk of suicide in fibromyalgia patients

Dorothy L. Tengler Mental Healthcare

Fibromyalgia, one of the most common pain conditions, affects about 10 million adults in the U.S. About 75-90 percent of those with this condition are women, and most are diagnosed during middle age. One study of 1,269 Danish women with fibromyalgia showed that the suicide risk was 10 times that of the general population. Although the cause of fibromyalgia remains unknown, the disorder can be effectively treated and managed. A recent study showed that fibromyalgia patients who regularly visited their physicians or healthcare providers were much less likely to attempt suicide than patients who do not regularly see their physicians.

Ethology and veterinary practice: The (pseudo-)protective dog

Dr. Myrna Milani Pet Care

Say the words "protective dog" to most companion animal veterinary practitioners, and most will know exactly what that means. Say "protective dog" to people outside the profession, and they will react the same way. The problem is that all these people may feel so sure of their definition that it never dawns on them that others may not share it. In reality, the mental images those two words elicit may vary a great deal. Moreover, this image has changed as a function of human and canine time and place.

Industries