PSQH: The Podcast Episode 23 – The Challenges of COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
On episode 23 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Kent Locklear, chief medical officer of Lightbeam Health Solutions, talks about the ins and outs of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Experts Urge More Action, Emergency OSHA Standard on COVID-19
Signers of the letter to the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Institutes of Health (NIH) officials included David Michaels, former OSHA administrator under President Barack Obama. The letter’s signers contend that current CDC and OSHA guidance does not adequately address the risk of transmission through inhalation of small airborne particles. Much of the federal guidance still refers to exposure to “respiratory droplets.”
Handheld Ultrasound Boosts Doctors’ Pandemic Toolkit
A new generation of handheld ultrasound devices, including the Butterfly iQ, allows faster assessment of pulmonary symptoms of the disease, while minimizing the spread of COVID-19 by reducing the need to move patients and equipment during the treatment process.
How to Support Clinicians Reluctant to Seek Support
In the roughly 10 years since EmPRO began offering emotional support tools, the company has recognized, perhaps paradoxically, that as an insurance company they’re able to provide a unique level of support to clinicians suffering from burnout and chronic stress.
Accreditation Can Drive Business Capacity for Your Healthcare Organization
Now more than ever, healthcare provider organizations can benefit from leveraging the broad value of accreditation. Many people associate accreditation solely with compliance and the survey experience, but with the right partner, accreditation is the source of a business relationship that can help drive performance improvement, operating efficiencies, and risk management—all aspects of a successful business growth strategy—while maintaining regulatory compliance.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Help With Efficiency in Healthcare
The shortage of expertise affects not just cardiology, but the entire spectrum of care—and it extends beyond places traditionally thought of as having limited healthcare options. From the U.S. and Europe to Africa and Asia, the universal need for more highly skilled physicians and other clinicians places these experts, and their time, at a premium.
More and More Hospital Surveys May Be Onsite, Depending on Conditions
In a memo initially issued January 20 to CMS’ state survey agencies (SA) and revised on February 18, the federal overseer of Medicare said it was directing accreditation organizations (AO) to also limit hospital surveys based on certain criteria. However, in many cases hospitals still may be subject to their regular onsite, triennial reaccreditation survey. And they will be unannounced, as usual.
OSHA HazCom Updates Include Labeling, SDS Requirements
The proposal could lead to changes in labels and SDSs employers would receive. For example, the agency is proposing a new provision for small container labels for containers with a capacity less than or equal to 100 milliliters (ml). Such labels would be required to include, at a minimum, a product identifier; a pictogram(s); a signal word; the chemical manufacturer’s name and phone number; and a statement that the full label information for the hazardous chemical is provided on the immediate outer package.
Study: Half of Hospitalized Coronavirus Patients Have Symptoms 4 Months After Discharge
The recent research article, which was published by JAMA Network Open, features data collected from 219 patients at an academic hospital in Northern Italy. The researchers measured lung impairment, functional impairment, and posttraumatic stress symptoms.
COVID-19 Prods Employers to Explore Virtual-Directed Health Plans
The move is largely a response to the tremendous increase in virtual care visits during the coronavirus public health emergency, according to Aon’s new report released Thursday. That shift in consumer behavior has led 36% of employers to say they are interested in exploring a virtual-directed health plan model with an online primary care platform that directs all care, including coordination with traditional health providers.