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| COVID-19 will continue to impact the healthcare system, hospitals, practices, orthopaedic surgeons, and patients for the foreseeable future. To help disseminate the most relevant and current news, the Academy will publish bonus COVID-19-focused editions of Headline News Now each Tuesday and Thursday for at least the next six weeks. |
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| Today’s Top Story
$2 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package Approved by Senate
The Senate unanimously approved a $2 trillion economic stimulus deal allocating billions of dollars to the healthcare system. The deal includes $100 billion to reimburse providers for lost revenue and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as direct checks of $1,200 for many Americans and bigger unemployment checks for people who have lost their jobs.
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| In Other News
CMS Approves Medicaid Waivers in 11 States
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Medicaid Section 1135 waivers for 11 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Virginia. The waivers allow these states to temporarily place prior authorization requirements on hold, extend existing authorizations for services, suspend certain nursing home preadmission reviews, relax reimbursement for care provided in alternate settings, and enroll out-of-state and new providers to quickly expand access to care. Previously, CMS approved COVID-19-related waivers for Florida and Washington.
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| How Can We Protect Healthcare Workers?
An article published in The New Yorker discussed what two nations, Singapore and Hong Kong, did to successfully protect their healthcare workers from and control the spread of COVID-19.
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| Ibuprofen May Not Worsen COVID-19 Symptoms
According to an Associated Press (AP) report, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other leading health agencies said that ibuprofen may not worsen COVID-19 symptoms. WHO said that a literature search yielded no data on the subject, and the United Nations health agency stated it is “not aware of reports of any negative effects of ibuprofen, beyond the usual known side effects.”
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| Study: Does Lopinavir–ritonavir Help COVID-19 Patients?
According to a randomized, controlled, open-label trial published online in The New England Journal of Medicine, lopinavir–ritonavir yielded no significant benefit for patients with COVID-19. Adults with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and an oxygen saturation of 94 percent or less while breathing ambient air or a ratio of the partial pressure of oxygen to the fraction of inspired oxygen of less than 300 mmHg were randomized to receive either lopinavir–ritonavir (400 mg and 100 mg, respectively) twice a day for 14 days plus standard care (n = 99) or standard care alone (n = 100). Time to clinical improvement did not differ between the lopinavir–ritonavir and standard-care groups, and 28-day mortality was similar between the groups (19.2 percent versus 25.0 percent, respectively). A modified intention-to-treat analysis found that lopinavir–ritonavir had a median time to clinical improvement that was one day shorter than that of the standard-care group.
Read the study… |
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| Your AAOS
COVID-19: Information for Our Members
To help Academy members stay informed during this rapidly evolving situation, AAOS is gathering COVID-19 resources to be housed in one place online. In addition to general resources, AAOS is working to provide materials that are more specific to orthopaedics, including information for practice management, patient safety, policy changes around coding and regulation, and ongoing advocacy efforts.
Be sure to check this page regularly, as it is updated daily with new information.
Access the resource center… |
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| What to Do If Your Orthopaedic Surgery Is Postponed
The COVID-19 pandemic has required that the country take protective measures to prevent the spread of the disease. To this end, many hospitals have postponed elective surgeries to help ensure that their resources are available for severely ill patients who may need them. This article lists several common orthopaedic problems, along with some frequently recommended nonsurgical treatments.
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| Additional Information
The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies Call to Action: Helping Patients with Disabilities Amid COVID-19
A coalition of disability advocacy organizations and disability rights and emergency management experts signed a letter calling for action to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities and improve outcomes.
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| Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s Resident/Fellow Education and Training Considerations
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education released considerations for resident/fellow education and training amid COVID-19.
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| Sharp Decrease in Medical Supplies Imports Results in Nationwide Shortages
According to the AP, a shortage in testing swabs, protective masks, surgical gowns, and hand sanitizer may be linked to a significant decrease in imports, notably from China.
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