When your patients leave the office, you hope they've left satisfied and have most of the answers they came for. According to new research from the American Health Information Management Association, that may not be the case at all—in spite of your best efforts.
The research concludes that unfortunately "there is a clear disconnect in the information being shared and understood when patients and doctors are together."
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More than 1 million people in the U.S. were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Monday as a tsunami of omicron swamps every aspect of daily American life.
More than 1 million people in the U.S. were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Monday as a tsunami of omicron swamps every aspect of daily American life.
The highly mutated variant drove U.S. cases to a record, the most -- by a large margin -- that any country has ever reported since the pandemic began more than two years ago. Monday’s number is almost double the previous record of about 590,000 set just four days ago in the U.S., which itself was a doubling from the prior week.
America’s daily case count on Monday was more than twice the number seen in any other country at any time. The highest number outside the U.S. came during India’s delta surge, when more than 414,000 people were diagnosed on May 7, 2021.
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ASIPP is conducting a survey on the practice patterns of perioperative management covering antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy in Interventional Pain Management. We last surveyed this topic 10 years ago. We would like to compare the 2011 data to 2021 to see the changes to the practice pattern. Your help is needed to accomplish this!
We recently mailed to you the survey titled Practice Patterns of Perioperative Management of Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant in Interventional Pain Management. If you did not complete the survey, please take a few minutes to complete it mail it back to us in the prepaid return address envelope.
If you did not receive the survey, you may download the survey by clicking here. Please complete and e-mail it back to drm@asipp.org or fax to 270.554.5394.
This survey is most important to ASIPP and its members. It will demonstrate how our members practicing Perioperative Management utilize antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy in pain management procedures. The more members that participate will increase the impact of the survey.
Please complete the survey and mail, e-mail, or fax back as soon as possible.
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Quotable quotes heard by MedPage Today reporters
"If you hear hoofbeats, you are more likely to see a horse, unless you are in an evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Then it may be a zebra." -- Benji Mathews, MD, of Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, back in January on including atypical COVID-19 manifestations in a differential diagnosis.
"If you arrived from another planet and saw two airports a mile apart, one for Black people and another for whites, you'd think this is some kind of weird apartheid.... We don't do that for airports, but somehow that's where we've ended up with hospitals." -- Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute, discussing structural racism in healthcare.
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For the study, researchers from University of California San Francisco, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford University and Cambridge, Mass.-based Harvard University measured data on ambulatory care clinicians' EHR use in 366 health systems across the U.S. Data was pulled from December 2019-20, and all participating health systems used an Epic EHR system.
Researchers used descriptive statistics for clinician EHR use, including active-use time across clinical activities, time spent after hours and in-basket messages received.
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South African study suggests nasal swabs aren't the best way
If confirmed in follow-up research and if the diagnostics industry can pivot quickly enough, findings from a South African study could make COVID-19 testing a lot easier for patients and healthcare workers, as the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant becomes the dominant source of infection.
In a manuscript posted to the medRxiv preprint server on Friday, researchers from the University of Cape Town reported that saliva samples yielded more accurate results in PCR analyses when Omicron was involved compared with those collected via nasal swabs.
When patients carried the Delta variant, on the other hand, nasal swabs were more accurate, according to the group, led by Diana Hardie, MBChB, MMedPath, who also heads the diagnostic virology laboratory at Groote Schuur Hospital.
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New U.K. data suggest steep drop-off in protection, potentially giving Omicron more power
Real-world data from the U.K. showed that efficacy of a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine waned significantly at the 10-week mark, leaving boosted individuals at risk of infection with Omicron.
Meaghan Kall, a PhD candidate and an epidemiologist at the HSA, tweeted that this effect "is not seen with Delta."
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans on Monday to authorize booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) coronavirus vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with FDA deliberations.
U.S. regulators also plan to cut the time gap for both adolescents and adults to get a booster shot of Pfizer's vaccine to five months after a second dose, from the current six months, the newspaper reported.
The FDA declined to comment on the report.
A booster dose for 12- to 15-year-olds could be an important tool for millions of children in the face of rising cases fueled by Omicron. The variant is able to evade some of the protection offered by two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to early data from lab studies.
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To log in for the first time you will need to click “forgot password” at the bottom of the login window.
- Check your email and then log in as directed.
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If you have problems logging into your account, click here.
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Group of physician-scientists believes data support authorization for treating COVID-19
It took about 4 days for David Boulware, MD, MPH, to write the FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) application for fluvoxamine.
Yes, a doctor wrote an EUA application -- a task that has typically been relegated to pharmaceutical companies -- and yes, it was for a generic drug that physicians could technically prescribe off-label.
But Boulware, of the University of Minnesota, who is involved in a trial that's investigating fluvoxamine and other repurposed drugs -- along with a handful of other doctors and researchers -- took it upon themselves to apply because they believe the data substantiate its use in COVID-19.
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Wall Street Journal tech columnists look ahead to electric cars that don’t break the bank, earbuds that gauge your health, a fix for social media’s harms, package deliveries from above and more.
A Facebook name change? A colossal global chip shortage? Digital art selling for millions? No crystal ball could have shown us what 2021 in tech would look like.
That’s part of the fun and excitement of this yearly exercise, where our team puts together predictions for what’s to come. Even with our best analysis of current trends, industry experts and Ouija boards, there’s no way to see it all coming.
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Call for
Abstracts & Poster Presentations
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Proposals accepted through March 1st
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A $50 submission fee is required upon completion of the form.
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Questions can be directed to
Savannah Gold at 270.554.9412 ext 4219 or
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After reading the 2022 Abstracts & Poster Presentations guidelines, please complete the form along with the presenter's CV by clicking here.
- Top 3 will present during the general session on the final day.
- Top 10 will present during the abstract breakout session.
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Rapid review and publication in the Pain Physician journal will be extended to the Top 10 authors accepted for meeting presentations.
Click here for Abstract and Poster Presentation
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Pain Medicine Case Reports (PMCR) and Editor-in-Chief Alaa Abd-Elsayed, MD, PhD would like to invite you to submit case reports and case series to the PMCR journal. Your article will be published free of charge.
Open access journals are freely available online for immediate worldwide open access to the full text of published articles. There is no subscription fee for open access journals. Open access journals are no different from traditional subscription-based journals: they undergo the same peer-review and quality control as any other scholarly journal.
Interested in becoming a member of the PMCR Editorial Board?
Editorial board members are asked to review 2-6 manuscripts per year. Please submit your most up-to-date CV to sgold@asipp.org for consideration.
For more information or to submit your articles, click here.
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| CASE REPORT |
Alaa Abd-Elsayed, MD
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Headache is a very challenging condition to treat. We are presenting a unique approach for treating headache and occipital neuralgia that involves placing a wireless peripheral nerve stimulation system at the C2 and C3 levels.
CASE REPORT: A 39-year-old man with a history of headache and occipital neuralgia resistant to several treatment modalities was treated with occipital nerve stimulation at the levels of C2 and C3.
CONCLUSION: Peripheral nerve stimulation at the C2 and C3 levels is a unique approach for treating resistant headache and occipital neuralgia.
KEY WORDS: C2, C3, headache, occipital neuralgia, peripheral nerve stimulation
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| PROSPECTIVE STUDY |
Yuanyuan Ding, PhD, Peng Yao, PhD, Hongxi Li, MD, and Tao Hong, MD
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Primary trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is one of the most severe facial pain syndromes. TN affects patients’ quality of life and, when severe, can lead to depression and increase social burden.
OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study aimed to compare efficacy and safety of computed tomographic (CT)-guided percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) through the foramen rotundum (FR) versus through the foramen ovale (FO) for treatment of maxillary division (V2) TN.
STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study.
SETTING: Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University.
METHODS: Seventy patients with V2 TN were randomly assigned to 2 groups: RFT-FR group (n = 35) and RFT-FO group (n = 35). Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, the total efficacy, complications, and recurrence rate were assessed before and after surgery at different time points.
RESULTS: Compared with the preoperative VAS, the postoperative VAS in the RFT-FR and RFT-FO groups both decreased significantly (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in VAS between the 2 groups (P > 0.05); in both groups quality of life improved to varying degrees after RFT. In the RFT-FO group, the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) were significantly lower than in the RFT-FR group at 1 week, 2 weeks and 1 month (P < 0.05). After 3 months, the PCS and MCS of the RFT-FO group gradually increased, so the 2 groups no longer differed significantly (P > 0.05). The total incidence of complications in the RFT-FR and RFT-FO groups was 20.0% (7/35) and 62.9% (22/35), respectively, and differed significantly (P < 0.05).
LIMITATIONS: This study cohort size is small, but we will gradually increase the number of patients later. Second, there may be acquiescence bias or response bias. Third, the punctures under the more commonly used C-arm imaging guidance deserve to be evaluated in the future.
CONCLUSIONS: CT-guided RFT through the FR and FO are both an effective, minimally invasive treatments for V2 TN that can relieve pain effectively.
KEY WORDS: Radiofrequency thermocoagulation, primary trigeminal neuralgia, foramen rotundum, foramen ovale, neuropathic pain
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| OBSERVATIONAL STUDY |
Kanishka Rajput, MD, Colin-Beals Reid, MD, David Yanez, PhD, Devina Shiwlochan, MD, Sargis Ohanyan, MD, and Robert Chow, MD
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability. Radiofrequency denervation (RFD) is effective when performed according to guidelines for patients with correctly diagnosed zygapophyseal joint pain (ZJP). However, the cost-effectiveness of this method has not been fully explored.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze whether RFD is cost-effective for ZJP from a societal perspective.
STUDY DESIGN: Cost effectiveness study based on an observational study.
SETTING: An interventional pain management clinic in central Sweden.
METHODS: Patients - This cost-effectiveness study was performed for all patients (n = 873) assessed between 2010 and 2016 at a specialized interventional pain clinic in Sweden. Those diagnosed with ZJP (n = 331, 37.9%) were treated with RFD and followed up for 1 year after the RFD. Using data collected from national registers, we determined the health care costs, medication costs, the patients' time and travel costs, and the patients' ability to work. The effects of RFD on quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and cost/QALY gained were calculated.
RESULTS: On average, patients reported very low health-related quality of life (HRQoL; EQ-5D index: 0.212). After RFD, HRQoL increased significantly to 0.530 (P < 0.0001). Drug consumption and specialized health care consumption were reduced by 54% and 81%, respectively, and the cost/QALY gained from a societal perspective was 221,324 Swedish krona (USD ~26,008). The sensitivity analysis showed that the treatment was cost-effective in all scenarios evaluated, using the patients as their own controls. The cost/QALY gained from a health care perspective was 72,749 Swedish krona (USD ~8,548).
LIMITATIONS: The results are based on data collected at one center. The results need to be compared with those from pain rehabilitation programs and should be confirmed using data from other centers.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients referred for RFD in Sweden report extremely low HRQoL. HRQoL significantly increased following RFD in patients with ZJP. Medications and health care consumption decreased after RFD. RFD was cost-effective, and the sensitivity analysis yielded stable results in different scenarios. Therefore, RFD is a cost-effective treatment that meets the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare criteria for a high priority treatment.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01835704) with Protocol ID SE-Dnr-2012-446-31M-1. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01835704.
KEY WORDS: QALY gained; cost-effectiveness; interventional pain management; radiofrequency denervation; zygapophyseal joint pain; Chronic pain.
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Since this malpractice insurance program officially launched in November 2018, ASIPP has signed up hundreds of providers with an average savings of 30%. This is professional liability insurance tailored to our specialty and will stand up for us and defend our practices.
Norcal Mutual is A-Rated by AM best and is licensed in all 50 states. To read a few important points to keep in mind about the program, including discounts, administrative defense, cyber coverage, aggressive claims handling, and complimentary award-winning risk management CME activities, click here.
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ASIPP® has formed a partnership with Henry Schein and PedsPal, a national GPO that has a successful history of negotiating better prices on medical supplies and creating value-added services for independent physicians. Working with MedAssets, PedsPal provides excellent pricing on products like contrast media that alleviate some of the financial pressures you experience today.
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ASIPP® is now offering our members the benefit of a unique revenue cycle management/ billing service.
We have received a tremendous amount of interest in the ASIPP® billing and coding program.
Click here to learn more about the negotiated rate for practices and more!
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up-to-date news related to you, your practice, and your patients!
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