Coronavirus Pandemic Flips Clinician Workforce Market
The new Merritt Hawkins report, “2020 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives and the Impact of COVID-19,” examines clinician recruitment data for the one-year period ending March 31, 2020. Although the number of physician search engagements the company conducted during the period increased, search engagements conducted since March 31 have declined 30%.
Coronavirus: 4 Methods Effective in Decontaminating N95 Respirator Masks
With the virus primarily spread through respiratory droplets and aerosol particles, N95 masks have been in high demand and limited supply. In March, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that a prolonged pandemic would require 3.5 billion N95 masks but only 35 million were stocked.
Study: COVID-19 Fatality Risk Is Double Earlier Estimates
The findings suggest that the fatality risk averaging 1.45% during that timespan is more than double the 0.7% fatality risk identified in previous studies from both China and France. That’s according to a new study from researcher at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health that was published online in medRxiv.
COVID-19-associated Deaths Significantly Undercounted
Deaths from causes other than COVID-19 spiked in Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York — particularly New York City — and Pennsylvania, the regions that also had the most COVID-19 deaths in March and April.
NIOSH Compiles Disinfectant Safety, Health Hazard Info Amid COVID-19
When used according to manufacturers’ instructions, cleaners and disinfectants can be effective control measures for infectious diseases, including Ebola and influenza. Guidelines issued by the CDC and OSHA since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have referred employers and building owners to the EPA’s “List N” of Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
Surveillance Beyond the ICU
While much of the focus has been on the ICU and the many monitoring and therapeutic patient care devices used to maintain and manage patients’ airway, breathing, and circulation (ABC), there is also a growing need outside of these high-acuity settings for monitoring patients. What the general public—and even hospital leadership—might not be aware of is that outside of critical care, there is a patient safety concern that could be growing, in part, due to clinical staffing pressures associated with COVID-19.
Patient Service: Standards and Practices for Excellence in the COVID-19 Era
One thing that has not changed is providers’ desire to provide excellent patient care and service, and patients’ need to feel comfortable and well cared-for in the ambulatory environment. It is also still true that patients often judge the overall quality of their care based on the service experience at the hospital or office, and that perception is based on a comparison between their pre-visit expectations and their actual experience during the visit.
Q&A: How to Get FEMA Emergency Funding During the COVID Crisis
A broad range of federal programs were allocated funding through the $150 billion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress. But getting that money, either through FEMA or other agencies, has caused some confusion for governments, institutions, organizations, and individuals in search of COVID-19–related aid.
40% of Providers at Risk of Closure Due to Financial Implications of COVID-19
At some point this year, over 40% of organizations expect to hit peak bed capacity and 30% predict they will face clinical staffing shortages. The survey also found that at-risk provider organizations have laid off non-essential staff at twice the rate of those not at risk.
Coronavirus: 3 Steps for Reopening Ambulatory Surgery Centers
With the nationwide cancellation of most elective surgeries in March to boost hospital capacity to care for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, ASCs experienced a dramatic reduction in patient volume. Now, ASCs are reopening with measures to do so safely and efficiently.