CDC Issues Nationwide Alert for Measles Cases After Exposure at Kentucky Gathering
The CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) health advisory “to notify clinicians and public health officials about a confirmed measles case at a large gathering’ from February 17-18, during the infectious stage. According to the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH), the case involves “an unvaccinated individual with a history of recent international travel.”
Addressing Preventable Deaths in Maternal Care
The report also noted that the leading underlying cause of death varied by race and ethnicity, with cardiac and coronary conditions the leading cause among non-Hispanic Black patients, mental health among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white patients, and hemorrhage among non-Hispanic Asian patients.
‘Tripledemic’ Reveals Critical Need for Better Patient Triage and Transfer Services
During November 2022, hospitals in states such as Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina were forced to set up triaging tents in their parking lots, postpone elective surgeries, or impose visitor restrictions owing to the high numbers of patients showing up in their EDs. In December, patients at one Oregon health system had to wait for more than two days to be transferred to other facilities for higher levels of care. In effect, the situation felt like 2020 again.
Long COVID is Partly to Blame for Workforce Shortages
Some 71% of claimants with long COVID were still receiving treatment and unable to return to work for six months or more, according to data from the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF), the largest worker compensation insurance fund in the state. The study analyzed more than 3,000 COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims received by NYSIF between January 1, 2020, and March 31, 2022.
Healthcare 2023: A Pressing Need to Move From Reactive to Proactive
We deserve a healthcare system that does more than fix us when we’re sick. Our daily living—the actions we take regarding nutrition, fitness, sleep, mental health, relationships, and financial management, and how social determinants impact these actions—is the biggest factor in our health and total well-being. Yet, our healthcare system primarily treats sickness rather than working to prevent it in the first place.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 65 – The Impact of Patient Falls on Senior Care
On episode 65 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Glen Xiong, clinical professor at UC Davis Health and Chief Medical Officer at SafelyYou, talks about the impact of patient falls on senior care.
Frailty and Probable Dementia Risk Factors for Mortality After Major Surgery for Older Adults
The new research article, which was published by JAMA Surgery, features data collected from 1,193 major surgeries involving 992 community-living older adults from 2011 to 2017. The data was drawn from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services fee-for-service Medicare claims and the National Health and Aging Trends Study. The definition of major surgery included any procedure performed in an operating room with general anesthesia.
Meeting Patient Needs Where They Need It Most
California-based Adventist Health and value-based medical group Emcara Health have partnered recently to extend care into high-risk communities across the state. As part of the Enhanced Care Initiative from CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal), this partnership is intended to close care gaps for patients facing the most complex care needs by addressing barriers such as homelessness and other social determinants of health.
Sentara Healthcare Boosts Efforts to Address Social Determinants of Health
Sentara Healthcare has launched a community care program to provide neighborhood-level access to services for people who are on Medicaid or are uninsured or underinsured. A primary focus of Sentara Community Care is to help patients address social determinants of health such as housing, food security, and transportation, which have a pivotal impact on the physical and mental health of patients.
Quality Metrics Drive Physician Performance at Crossover Health
Crossover Health has 42 clinics throughout the United States, a mixture of on-site and near-site clinics, as well as a national virtual medical practice. The organization built its population health tool to overcome what Ezeji-Okoye calls the “tyranny of the visit” that dominates traditional electronic health record software.