Best Practices

By Scott Cormier

Workplace violence, including physical assaults and threats of assault directed toward persons at work or on duty, is a growing issue within the healthcare setting. In fact, according to OSHA, 75 percent of nearly 25,000 workplace assaults reported annually occurred in healthcare and social service settings. Moreover, from 2002 to 2013, incidents of serious workplace violence were four times more common in healthcare than any other industry. These incidents of workplace violence against healthcare workers can occur on varying levels – from bullying to deadly assault – further supporting that it’s imperative healthcare organizations identify triggers for such incidents, so they can better protect their workforce. 

Many operate under the common belief that majority of violence occurs between co-workers. However, statistics show that 80 percent of incidents stem from patients. These incidents are grossly underreported as well. 

And while countless patients and family members tend to be in distress when at the hospital, causing heightened emotions and reactions, there are several other factors that contribute to workplace violence in healthcare – including the rising misuse of opioids. 

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and many others.

[Read more…] about Opioids and workplace violence in healthcare: Is there a correlation?

By Christopher McCann

The financial pressures on the healthcare industry are intensifying. On one hand, providers are encountering soaring costs and growing demand for medical care from an aging population. At the same time, they’re facing continuing shifts to value-based reimbursement. 

The challenge is enormous: How can healthcare providers deliver quality patient care while operating with ever-tighter budgets? 

Traditional practices are no longer enough. Innovation is called for, bringing together new technology with innovative healthcare delivery models. Recognizing this new reality, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is incentivizing innovation. This includes one of the most promising technological solutions to emerge so far, remote patient monitoring (RPM), which harnesses the Internet of Things (IoT) to enable quality patient care outside a hospital setting.

CMS defines RPM as the collection of physiologic data (for example, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, glucose monitoring) digitally stored and/or transmitted by the patient and/or caregiver to the home health aide (HHA). In a recent rule, CMS highlighted numerous studies that point out the potential benefits of RPM in reducing costs, decreasing re-hospitalization rates and improving outcomes. It has also taken a step toward considering RPM when it determines future payment rates. 

With these moves, CMS has lent strong credibility to the use of RPM, and its support will help drive continued innovation. 

[Read more…] about How RPM Will Transform Healthcare

American Journal of Medicine’s recent study shows physician burnout, a serious issue in the medical community, jumped to 54% over the last 3 years. Physicians today are dealing with an incredible amount of stress as they confront growing administrative burdens, rising operating costs, new medical technology adoptions and the increasing patient demand for frontline care. 

Dr. Sean Alemi, Otolaryngologist from New York, has found a rewarding remedy that helps him reset and fight burnout–– international medical missions.

“For me, finding the time and space to reset and remind myself of why I became a doctor in the first place has been the perfect antidote to burnout. I have always enjoyed physical activity as a way to reset my mind and gain perspective on some of the emotional challenges of my daily work. But I was surprised to find that the most transformative experiences did not come exercise, or a vacation, rather through international medical missions,” shared Dr. Alemi. 

Despite the long hours of travel and the time it takes to organize a medical team of volunteers while also transporting large necessary medical equipment –  Dr. Alemi believes “it’s all worth it” and puts everything back into perspective, helping him reclaim his calling and remember why he chose to be in medicine.    

On his recent medical mission to Ica, Peru, Dr. Alemi treated patients ranging from ages 4 weeks to 21 years old, mainly performing cleft lip & palate surgeries. His patients would travel 24+ hours, on horseback, trains, buses, just to see Dr. Alemi. 

In most cases,this was the very first time they had ever met a physician.

With these medical missions, Dr. Alemi’s small procedure leaves children forever changed with the new ability to speak coherently, eat and swallow properly, and exchange a smile.  

Finding the time and money to travel on a resident’s salary is tough. Dr. Alemi wants all doctors to know that there are resources to help. For example, his most recent medical mission to Inca, Peru was funded by The Dox Foundation, which provides grants for medical missions to underserved communities across the globe. The Dox Foundation offers monthly grants to Doximity members, a professional medical network with over 70 percent of all U.S. physicians. Since its launch in 2017, the Dox Foundation has donated over $200k to support medical missions in over 33 countries. 

“I’m sincerely grateful to have had the opportunity to partake in a humanitarian mission that allowed me to remove myself from my routine and temporarily break free from daily stresses. It changed my perspective on my profession and it felt empowering to know that there is not only a community of support, but non-profit organizations that can financially help physicians across the country do the same,” said Dr. Alemi. 

Although physician burnout is not curable, there are ways to alleviate symptoms. By empowering physicians to dedicate their time and get back to doing what they love– helping patients. Medical missions can have a lasting impact, leaving physicians feeling better equipped mentally and emotionally to be as enthusiastic about their job going forward as they were on Match Day. 

By Dawn Bowden

With an increasingly aging population, hip fractures are on the rise. More than 300,000 hip fractures occur annually,^,  and this number is expected to exceed 500,000 by 2040.  Ninety percent of hip fractures occur in people older than age 65, who may already have significant co-morbidities when they arrive at hospital. Hip fractures are generally associated with chronic pain, reduced mobility, disability, and an increasing degree of dependence.Research suggests that only 50 percent of hip fracture patients return to their previous mobility levels prior to injury within one year after fracture. Further, one-year mortality rate is estimated between 17 and 27 percent. The economic burden of managing hip fractures was estimated at $17 to $20 billion in 2010.  

From increased mortality rates and decreased mobility to an immense economic burden, hip fractures are serious life-changing events and have a major impact on health systems and the patients they serve. The University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health (UM UCH) sees an average of 200 acute hip fractures each year and nearly 90 percent require surgical intervention. Improving outcomes for this patient population has been a priority for UM UCH. UM UCH recognized the opportunity to change the trajectory of health outcomes for elderly hip fracture patients and find ways to deliver more organized and standardized care centered around the unique needs of these patients. Through its engagement with the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies (JJMDC), UM UCH has begun to realize some notable results in hip fracture care.

JJMDC assessed UM UCH’s hip fracture care approach and with the help of JJMDC, UM UCH implemented an evidence-based care improvement program focused on reducing variability, enhancing and standardizing interdisciplinary care, and improving patient outcomes. The Hip Fracture Care Program* offered by JJMDC is specifically designed for elderly hip fracture patients, a population that might arrive at the hospital with unrelated complications, such as diabetes or heart failure. 

[Read more…] about Award-Winning Hip Fracture Care Delivery Program Delivers Results at the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake