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| Today’s Top Story
COVID-19 Presidential Update from Joseph A. Bosco III, MD, FAAOS
In his latest COVID-19 update, AAOS President Joseph A. Bosco III, MD, FAAOS, shared the most recent advocacy and regulatory wins. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued an extension of the Provider Protection Act, giving practices grants (nonrepayable) based on Medicare billing. Last week, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act was introduced. The bipartisan bill narrowly protects healthcare providers and their facilities from certain lawsuits regarding care they provided during the public health emergency. He called on members to continue their support for the Orthopaedic Political Action Committee, which provides financial support to help make these advocacy changes possible.
Read Dr. Bosco’s message… |
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| In Other News
Study: Recommendations for Orthopaedic Care in COVID-19 Patients
A study published in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the AAOS ® highlighted perioperative considerations in surgical care of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients as well as operating room (OR) protocols and recommendations amid the pandemic. The article highlights personal protective equipment (PPE) use recommendations for activities in the triage area, emergency department (ED) consultation room, induction room, OR, and recovery room. Optimizing PPE supply is also discussed.
Read the study… |
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| Overall Hospital Visits on Slow Uptick
An analysis from TransUnion Healthcare found that hospital visit volumes are gradually increasing again but remain significantly lower than pre-COVID-19 numbers. ED and inpatient visits are being replaced by outpatient visits. Overall hospital visits across more than 500 hospitals between the weeks of March 1–7 and May 10–16 showed 20 percent to 40 percent declines compared to pre-COVID-19 data, indicating an upward trend from the 33 percent to 62 percent declines between the weeks of March 1–7 and April 12–18.
Read the TransUnion Healthcare press release… |
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| Study Assesses Complications, Mortality in Perioperative COVID-19 Patients
According to a study published online in The Lancet, half of patients with perioperative COVID-19 experienced postoperative pulmonary complications, increasing mortality risk. Operative patients (n = 1,128) at 235 hospitals in 24 countries with confirmed COVID-19 within seven days before or 30 days after surgery were included; 74 percent of surgeries were emergent, and about a quarter were elective. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 23.8 percent. Among the 51.2 percent of patients with pulmonary complications, the 30-day mortality rate was 38.0 percent—constituting 82.6 percent of all deaths.
Read the study… |
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| Small Hospitals Miss Federal Funding Due to Patient Counts
Even in areas hit hard by the pandemic, smaller hospitals were not included for funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act because they did not meet the 100-patient threshold set by the government, according to Modern Healthcare. In Chicago, hospitals that serve many poor and uninsured patients like Loretto Hospital and Norwegian American Hospital were skipped for funding, while larger facilities with more money such as Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University Medical Center received substantial grants ($34.7 million and $33.7 million, respectively).
Read more…(login may be required) |
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| AAOS Now
Geriatric Fracture Patients Require Special Care During the Pandemic
Geriatric fractures are common and still occur despite all of the activity restrictions and closings currently in place. The inability to visit elderly loved ones in the hospital can be extremely distressing for families, and the care provided by the hospital geriatric fracture service is important for patients and families. Lisa K. Cannada, MD, FAAOS, spoke with two experts about caring for geriatric fracture patients during COVID-19: Julie A. Switzer, MD, FAAOS, FAOA, a Board-certified orthopaedic surgeon with a specialization in geriatric orthopaedics, and Carmen Quatman, MD, PhD, one of a few surgeons in the country to complete a geriatric orthopaedic training fellowship.
Read more… |
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| Your AAOS
COVID-19: Member Resource Center
The COVID-19 Member Resource Center has added a new section called News & Features, which includes two feature articles from AAOS Now, a trending list, and a link to a COVID-19-specific archive that currently houses 22 articles. Members who want to share their frontline stories or write related articles should email AAOS Now Publisher Dennis Coyle at coyle@aaos.org.
Access the Member Resource Center’s News & Features section… |
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