MSSNYeNews: February 12, 2021 – Changing of the Guard: Thank you Philip Schuh, CPA, MS, and Welcome Troy Oechsner, JD

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Colleagues:

For the last 30 years, our current EVP, Philip Schuh, has served our MSSNY tirelessly and effectively earning the respect and gratitude of us all.  Mr. Schuh was deservedly awarded the AMA lifetime achievement award for medical executives in the fall of 2020. We wish him well in his retirement and thank him for his financial stewardship and his enormous contributions to our organization and our profession. On a personal note, I would like to thank him for his friendship, support, and general good humor.

After an extensive nationwide search, I am excited to announce that MSSNY has selected a new Executive Vice President, Troy Oechsner, JD.  He will be leaving his position as a partner at the law firm Manatt Phelps & Phillips, LLP to lead the MSSNY team beginning March 1, 2021.  Mr. Oechsner is a Cum Laude graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.  He has served as the Deputy Bureau Chief of the Health Bureau of the New York State Office of Attorney General, and as Deputy Superintendent of Health Insurance for the New York State Department of Financial Services.

The MSSNY search committee found his vision for the future of MSSNY to be both aspirational and inspirational.  Some of you are already familiar with Mr. Oechsner from previous presentations at past MSSNY Lobby Days and from his prominent role in formulating New York’s landmark Surprise Medical Billing Law.

Mr. Oechsner is well known and highly respected in state health circles, including among consumer groups, elected officials, state offices and hospital associations which will be an asset to our MSSNY in building coalitions to achieve meaningful victories for physicians and patients.  His experience in managing 700 employees at the Department of Financial Services will be instrumental in oversight of the daily operations of our MSSNY and in continuing strong financial stewardship.  Mr. Oechsner plans to prioritize membership expansion and non-dues revenue.

We look forward to his leadership and welcome him to the MSSNY family.

Bonnie Litvack, MD
MSSNY President


 


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MSSNY Urges Governor Cuomo to Authorize Community Based Physicians to Begin Immunizing their Patients with COVID 19 Vaccine
From the beginning of this pandemic MSSNY has said repeatedly that the state should be relying on the multifaceted health care system, including the community-based physicians as one prong in the COVID 19 vaccination effort to reach the entire patient population.  Physicians are urged to send a Grassroot Action Center letter to the Governor Cuomo and members of the NYS Legislature urging that New York State allow community-based physicians to begin to receive a supply of COVID-19 vaccine and begin immunizing patients.

These concerns have been raised in numerous articles in papers across the State including in the New York Times, Buffalo News and NY1:

Community-Based Physicians Seek More Vaccine Doses (ny1.com)
Pop-up vaccine clinics try to fill gaps, but community doctors say they can do it better | Local News | buffalonews.com
Primary Care Doctors Feel Left Out of Vaccine Rollout – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced this week that New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions are now eligible to receive the COVID19 vaccine.    Several hundred community-based physicians who have signed up to through the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS) only to be told that there is no vaccine available for the community-based physician.

These individuals’ practice in a wide range of communities throughout the state.  MSSNY has raised concerns that the plan to limit immunizing these comorbid patients to a state run COVID-19 site will adversely impact the poor, individuals of color and the very population you are trying to immunize—those with co-morbidity.   Many do not have the ability to go long distances (even an hour away) to these sites due to their condition.

MSSNY has asked Department of Health and the Governor’s office for an estimated time frame for these physicians to start receiving vaccine to immunize these patients and has yet to receive a reply.  Additionally,  Governor Cuomo has also indicated that excess vaccine supply meant for hospital workers can be used to open eligibility for New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions.  The Medical Society of the State of New York has repeatedly indicated to the state Department of Health and to the Governor’s office that there continues to be community-based physicians and their office staff that remain unimmunized because hospitals either don’t have a supply or that there the regional or local hospital hub are not immunizing those physicians and/or staff that are not employed.

Physicians log on to the GAC and make your voice on COVID-19 vaccination heard.  Click here to contact the governor and your legislator today! (CLANCY)


Join Us for MSSNY’s Virtual Lobby Day on March 2
Please plan to put aside Tuesday, March 2 for MSSNY’s Annual Physician Advocacy Day – this time Virtual!  To register, click here.

The format will follow previous years formats, where assembled physicians and allies will hear from legislative leaders in the morning (this year via Zoom), and then have virtual visits with their respective legislators in the afternoon.

With the significant number of adverse proposals in this year’s State Budget submission that will drive exacerbate existing practice challenges and unquestionably drive physicians away from New York State, your participation in this program is absolutely essential.

Please plan to join hundreds of colleagues from around the State on March 2!


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Please Urge Your Legislators to Reject Huge New Costs Placed on Community Physicians for Excess Coverage
Please urge your legislators to reject an extremely unfair Executive Budget proposal that would require the nearly 17,000 physicians enrolled in the Excess Medical Malpractice Insurance program to bear 50% of the cost of these policies.   You can send a letter and/or tweet them from here: Click Here.

This proposal would thrust over $50 million of new costs on the backs of our community-based physicians who served on the front lines of responding to the pandemic.  For some physicians, particularly in Long Island and New York City, this could add up to tens of thousands of dollars per physician.

For example, an emergency physician in Queens would face a new charge of over $6,000 for this coverage; an Ob-GYN in the Bronx would face a new charge of over $24,000; and a neurosurgeon on Long Island would face a new charge of nearly $41,000.  This new cost imposition would hit these practices at a time when many of these practices are already facing huge losses resulting from the substantial reduction in the number of patients receiving care during the pandemic.

MSSNY has joined with 16 other specialty medical societies in a letter to the entire State Legislature that expresses our strong objection to this proposal (Click Here).  Among the key points in the letter is that a recent AMA survey reported that during the pandemic the average number of in-person visits to physician offices dropped nearly in half.   The bottom line is that the new costs this proposal would impose are simply not assumable by physicians, meaning that many physicians will face no choice but to forgo receiving this additional coverage.

It is important to remember that the Excess Insurance program exists because of New York’s disproportionately high medical liability insurance costs as compared to all other states.  The real solution to this problem is comprehensive medical liability reform, but in its absence this program continues to be absolutely essential.  Please contact your legislators today to oppose this new cost imposition: Click Here (AUSTER)


Urge Your Legislators to Reject Proposal to Disregard Important Physician Due Process Protections
Please urge your legislators to oppose an Executive Budget proposal that that would significantly reduce due process protections for physicians against whom a complaint has been filed with the Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC), including making information public about a complaint even if no professional misconduct is found and greatly lessening the burden for imposing an interim suspension prior to the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings.   You can send a letter and/or tweet to your local legislators from here: Click Here.

MSSNY has joined with 15 other specialty medical societies in a letter to the State Legislature expressing its strong opposition to this proposal. While New York’s physicians share the goal of assuring the State has ample power to protect the public when the conduct of a particular health care provider places patients at risk, the Commissioner already has authority to take summary action prior to the conclusion of a disciplinary hearing in the absence of a finding of misconduct.  Moreover, this proposal is stunning in light of the enormous sacrifices made by many in the medical profession over the last year, serving on the front lines in responding to the pandemic.  The proposal was rejected by the Legislature last year when it was proposed in the Executive Budget and we are urging them to reject it again.

The group letter reminds the Legislature that, while the medical community is always ready to work to address gaps in our disciplinary system to protect patient safety, this proposal is far too broad given that most complaints never result in findings of misconducts or even formal charges being filed. Of greatest concern is that information released to the public, even if there is no action ultimately taken, can remain available through Google searches forever, potentially unfairly destroying a physician’s professional reputation.

Please urge your legislators to reject this grossly unfair proposal. (AUSTER)


New Yorkers With Comorbidities and Underlying Conditions Now Eligible to Get COVID 19 Vaccine—MSSNY Asks When Community Based Physicians Will Receive Vaccine
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions are now eligible to receive the COVID19 vaccine.    Patients must show proof of comorbidities by either a

  • Physician letter or
  • Medical Information Evidencing Comorbidity or
  • Signed Certification which will be developed by local governments.

Patients can begin to make appointments at state-run mass vaccination sites beginning February 14, with the first appointments scheduled for February 15.   They must do so by logging onto “Am I Eligible?” or by calling 1-833 NYS 4 VAX (1-833-6974829).

The full list of comorbidities and underlying conditions is available below. The list is subject to change as additional scientific evidence is published and as New York State obtains and analyzes additional state-specific data.

  • Adults of any age with the following conditions due to increased risk of moderate or severe illness or death from the virus that causes COVID-19.
  • Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Pulmonary Disease, including but not limited to, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate-to-severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11 related pulmonary diseases
  • Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities including Down Syndrome
  • Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, or hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) including but not limited to solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, use of other immune weakening medicines, or other causes
  • Severe Obesity (BMI 40 kg/m2), Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
  • Pregnancy
  • Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia
  • Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
  • Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
  • Neurologic conditions including but not limited to Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia
  • Liver disease

There has not yet been official guidance on this issued by New York State Department of Health.

The New York State Department of Health has issued a compilation guidance information of items of importance regarding the COVID-19.   This guidance is complete as of February 4, 2021 and offers information from becoming an enrolled COVID-19 immunizer to mental health resources, including information on MSSNY’s P2P program.  The guidance is HERE.
(CLANCY)


 

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Legislation to Prohibit Billing by Hospital Based Physicians Advances – Please Contact Your Legislators
Physicians are urged to contact their Assemblymembers and Senators to urge them to substantially revise A.3470-A/S.2521-A, “The Patient Medical Debt Reduction Act”. Click here to contact your legislators today!  There are many components to this legislation, but one seriously problematic component would prohibit a physician or other provider with any “financial or contractual relationship” with a hospital from separately billing a patient for a course or episode of treatment in the hospital.  While it would not appear to prohibit continued separate billing to insurance companies and other payers, a single hospital and physician bill would be required when a bill is sent to a patient for costs not covered by the patient’s insurance.  It would also require such consolidated bill to be sent within 7 days of a patient’s discharge from the hospital before there is any clarity as to what expenses will actually be covered by a patient’s insurance.

If this bill were to pass and this provision not amended, it would put non-employed physicians at the mercy of the hospitals where they practice since it is not clear how payments to hospitals from this “single bill” would then be distributed to these physicians.  In an era when patients’ insurance policies impose enormous deductibles, it would likely force even more physicians to sell their practices and become employees of hospitals in order to receive timely and adequate payments. The impact of this prohibition will fall most adversely on physicians who are on the front lines of the pandemic, many of whom are facing an enormous drop in patient volume due to a significant amount of delayed care.   This is one more factor that will drive physicians out of New York State towards other states with more favorable practice environments.

The legislation recently advanced from the Assembly Health Committee to the Codes Committee and is before the Senate Health Committee.  The sponsors of the legislation have indicated that they intend to make this legislation a major priority for this Legislative Session.  Please let your legislators know you appreciate the intent of the legislation to minimize the financial burden on our patients but that this “single bill” component will most heavily adversely impact community physicians, and ultimately result in the loss of patient choice and exacerbate health care monopolies in our health care system. Click here to contact your legislators today! (AUSTER)


Please Oppose Proposals That Facilitate Uncoordinated Siloed Care to be Provided by Pharmacists
Please contact your legislators to urge that they oppose several components of the Executive Budget that could upend the patient-centered medical home model and threaten patient safety by greatly expanding the scope of services provided to patients by pharmacists without coordination with patient care physicians.  You can send a letter from here: Click Here.  Please let them know these proposals would greatly enhance the power of big box giants to control various aspects of patient care delivery not in coordination with but to the exclusion of community-based primary care and specialty care physicians that typically manage the care of their patients.

Specifically, these Budget proposals would 1) permit pharmacists to order various lab tests without any physician oversight and without any requirement to coordinate with the patient’s physician for follow-up care; 2) greatly expand the physician-pharmacist Collaborative Drug Therapy Program to enable pharmacists to adjust the medications provided to entire classes of patients rather than individual patients and 3) permit pharmacists the power to administer any vaccination approved by the federal Advisory Commission on Immunization Practices (ACIP), including those which may be added in the future, thereby removing the discretion of the State Legislature to make these decisions.  Some of these proposals have been rejected by the Legislature in previous Budget cycles.

All of these programs together could incentivize the development of health care silos at the expense of the patient centered medical home model we have worked so hard to develop in New York.   It would also marginalize community based primary care and specialty care physicians’ ability to continue to be able to manage their patients’ ongoing care needs.    Please urge your legislators to reject these measures as they finalize the State Budget for 2021-22. (AUSTER)


MSSNY Continues to Raise Concerns that Executive Budget Proposal to Expand Telehealth Coverage May Actually Lessen Coverage
MSSNY continues its outreach to lawmakers to ensure patients can continue to have coverage for needed health care services via telehealth, including providing payment parity between in-person and telehealth visits. At the same time, we continue to raise concerns with a number of aspects of the Executive Budget proposal to expand Telehealth coverage, and are seeking further clarification of these provisions.

We are particularly concerned that the Executive Budget proposal did not include a measure to ensure payment parity, which is a significant issue for community physicians and the patients that they serve. A recent survey of its members by MSSNY showed that 83% had incorporated telemedicine into their practice, with nearly half saying they were treating at least 25% of their patients remotely. However, insurers’ reimbursement for audio and video Telehealth services has not kept pace with those paid for in-office visits and the gap is wide. According to the survey, less than 1/4 of health plans had set their reimbursement levels for telehealth equal to what they pay for in-office visits, with audio-only visits the least compensated.

Further, MSSNY has raised concerns that the Budget proposal may be used by the insurance industry to actually reverse the telehealth gains made over the past year. Specifically, linking coverage of telehealth services to insurers having a “so-called” adequate network, together with the proposal to permit telehealth delivery services by out of state physicians, could essentially empower insurers to limit who it will pay for telehealth services once it asserts it has an “adequate” network. It is not hard to imagine a scenario where a health plan asserts it has an adequate network through a national telehealth service provider, and then excludes coverage of telehealth service by all or some of its in-network community-based physicians. That is completely at odds with the expansive approach to telehealth coverage taken over the past year as a result of actions taken by the DFS and DOH.

MSSNY has also raised concerns that the Executive Budget proposal doesn’t expressly address payment parity in the state’s Medicaid program, which if not addressed, could create an inequity in the care that beneficiaries of Medicaid receive.

MSSNY is continuing to work with a range of other patient and provider partner organizations to address our concerns and will update members as the issue unfolds. (CARY)


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NYS DOH Commissioner Medical Grand Rounds Virtual Webcast on March 5
The New York State Health Commissioner, Howard Zucker, MD, will host his 2021-2022 Commissioner’s Medical Grand Rounds series on Friday, March 5th, virtually via webcast.   The session, entitled Caring for Patients Living with and Beyond Cancer, will bring together experts to discuss the role primary care providers play in improving the quality of life for cancer survivors.

This Grand Rounds session will help primary care providers understand the long-term impact of cancer treatment on their patients and their continuing physical- and mental-health care needs by providing access to timely and evidence-based information. Three experts in cancer survivorship will discuss how to identify and manage commonly experienced physical and psychosocial effects of cancer and its treatment, as well as best practices for coordinating survivorship care between oncology specialists and primary care providers. View the flyer here.

This virtual session will take place on Friday, March 5th from 1:00 – 3:00 pm, and will be streamed via live webcast. The session will also be archived on the NYSDOH Website. The event is free-of-charge and open to all interested providers across New York State. The link to register can be found here.  The Medical Society of the State of New York is a partner in the Commissioner Grand Rounds. (CLANCY)


MSSNY’s Peer-to-Peer is Here to Help if You or Someone You Know is Struggling with Everyday Life Stressors
Email: P2P@mssny.org and request that you be connected with a peer supporter

Phone: 1-844-P2P-PEER (1-844-727-7337) and request that you be connected with a peer supporter

The Medical Society of the State of New York now offers to physicians, residents and medical students a completely confidential and anonymous opportunity to talk with a peer about some of life stressors. MSSNY’s Physician Wellness and Resiliency Committee launched a Peer 2 Peer (P2P) program to assist their colleagues who are need of help in dealing with work and family stressors. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the emotional issues related to this event may also be troubling for our colleagues.

MSSNY has established a confidential helpline phone number (1-844-P2P-PEER) and an email address (p2p@mssny.org) so that physicians may be connected with a peer 24 hours a day/7 days a week. In addition to offering a trained, empathetic ear, peer supporters may provide information on specific resources that can offer further support, provide positive coping skills, or connect physicians to professionals for more focused assistance when needed. MSSNY has nearly 50 trained peer supporters across NYS who are just a phone call away! (LAUDER)


Registration Now Open
Medical Matters: COVID Vaccine Update February 17, 2021 @ 7:30 am
There is still time to register.  Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine on February 17th @ 7:30am.  Registration is now open for the next Medical Matters webinar: COVID Vaccine Update.  The discussion will include the types of vaccine in development, distribution priorities and barriers surrounding vaccine administration.  Dr. William Valenti will serve as faculty.  Click here to register.

Educational Objectives:

  • Recognize the types of COVID-19 vaccine in development
  • Discuss priorities for vaccine distribution
  • Identify barriers to COVID-19 immunization

Additional information or assistance with registration may be obtained by contacting Melissa Hoffman at mhoffman@mssny.org.

The Medical Society of the State of New York is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The Medical Society of the State of New York designates each live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA/PRA Category 1 credits™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. (HOFFMAN)


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HHS: US Government Bought 200,000,000 Vaccine Doses Yesterday
The U.S. government purchased 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses Feb. 11. HHS and the Department of Defense purchased 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna, bringing the total doses purchased by the government from the two companies to a total of 600 million. Each company is set to deliver 300 million doses in regular increments through the end of July 2021.


2021 E/M Coding Changes: Are You Leaving Money on the Table?

Limited to 25 Attendees
Two convenient time slots for “2021 E/M Guideline Changes

Course Description
Many physicians are still struggling when it comes to implementing these historic changes into their day-to-day workflow. Garfunkel Health Advisors is offering an interactive event on Documentation & Coding Compliance following the new E/M Coding Guidelines. 

To help ensure you get the most out of the live session, participation will be limited to 25 participants and you may submit questions in advance, specific to your practice and specialty.  

During the event we will:

• Share our knowledge and experience
• Answer your questions
• Discuss tips and best practices
• Review Time vs MDM opportunities
• Wave the caution flag in areas of potential audit risk 

Speaker:
Alicia Shickle
President, Documentation and Coding/Audit Division of
Garfunkel Health Advisors, Inc

Discounted pricing for MSSNY members:
◊ Member rate $150
◊ Non-member rate $300 

OPTION 1
Tuesday, February 23, 2021Presentation:
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm (EST)
OPTION 2
Thursday, February 25, 2021Presentation:
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm (EST)

For more information call: 516-393-2294

REGISTER HERE

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20 Most Expensive Prescription Drugs in 2021
Drug prices in the U.S. are about 256 percent higher than those in other countries, according to recent research.

Below is a list of the 20 most expensive prescription drugs in the U.S., based on the official price their manufacture assigned to them, as compiled by prescription discount company GoodRx. This list excludes medications that must be administered by a healthcare practitioner.

  1. Zokinvy (Geiger Biopharmaceuticals’): $86,040
  2. Millet (Aegerion Pharmaceuticals): $74,159
  3. Mavenclad (EMD Serono): $60,371
  4. Ravicti (Horizon Therapeutics): $57,998
  5. Actimmune (Horizon Therapeutics): $55,310
  6. Oxervate (Dompé): $48,498
  7. Takhzyro (Takeda): $46,828
  8. Juxtapid (Aegerion Pharmaceuticals): $46,502
  9. Cinryze (Takeda): $45,465
    • Chenodal (Travere Therapeutics): $42,570
    • Gattex (Takeda): $41,664
    • P. Acthar (Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals): $39,864
    • Orladeyo (BioCryst Pharmaceuticals): $37,308
    • Tegsedi (Akcea Therapeutics): $35,638
    • Ayvakit (Blueprint Medicines): $33,568
    • Vitrakvi (Bayer Pharmaceuticals): $32,800
    • Qinlock (Decipera Pharmaceuticals): $32,000
    • Korlym (Corcept Therapeutics): $31,440
    • Cerdelga (Genzyme): $28,599
    • Idhifa (Celgene): $28,246
      (Becker’s Hospital Review, Feb. 11)


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WHO Team Shares First Details of Probe into Pandemic’s Origin: 3 Things to Know
After spending time in hospitals, markets and laboratories in Wuhan, China, the World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the novel coronavirus shared findings from their initial data during a Feb. 9 news conference. 

Three early research findings:

  1. COVID-19 may have been circulating both inside and outside of the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan in December 2019, suggesting it may not have been the original source of the outbreak. “The market probably was a setting where that kind of spread could have happened easily, but that’s not the whole story,” said Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, the investigation’s international team lead. Dr. Liang Wannian, Chinese team lead of the WHO study, added that while there may have been missed cases in other regions, there’s been no evidence of significant COVID-19 circulation outside of Wuhan before the December 2019 outbreak.
  2. The virus “most likely” originated in animals before spreading to humans, the scientists said, emphasizing that more targeted research is needed to confirm the hypothesis and identify the intermediary animal host.
  3. The team said it was “extremely unlikely” that the virus was leaked from a Wuhan research lab as earlier theories have suggested, adding that the group will not recommend further investigation into the hypothesis.

“In terms of understanding what happened in the early days of December 2019, did we change dramatically the picture we had beforehand? I don’t think so,” Dr. Ben Embarek said. “Did we improve our understanding? Did we add details to that story? Absolutely.”


CDC: Tight-Fitting Masks, Two Masks Best Protection Against Infectious Aerosols
Double masking or knotting and tucking a single medical procedure mask helps prevent air leakage and improve mask performance, according to the CDC’s Feb. 10 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

After performing lab experiments with dummies, the CDC found that modifying masks to tighten the fit reduced exposure to potentially infectious aerosols, including those in the size range able to transmit SARS-CoV-2, by about 95 percent.

Researchers evaluated two modifications: Layering a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, known as double masking, and a single medical procedure mask with knotted ear loops and tucked-in sides to help get rid of any loose material. When the infected wearer (source) and receiver were both fitted with the double mask or knotted and tucked mask modifications, the cumulative exposure of the receiver was reduced by 96.4 percent and 95.9 percent for each modification, respectively.

The report also highlighted the use of solid or elastic mask fitters and a modification where a nylon cover is placed over a mask, as additional effective options to improve mask fit.

“The data in this report underscore the finding that good fit can increase overall mask efficiency,” the CDC said. “Multiple simple ways to improve fit have been demonstrated to be effective.”

To view the full report, click here.


Increased Alcohol Use Driving Uptick in Hospitalizations for Liver Disease
Hospitals nationwide have reported a spike in alcohol-related admissions for serious liver disease, reports the Los Angeles Times. At Los Angeles-based Keck Hospital of USC, admissions for alcoholic liver disease jumped 30 percent last year compared to 2019. Hospitals affiliated with Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine, Boston-based Harvard University and New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System have reported up to 50 percent increases in these admissions since March 2020, specialists at each organization told the publication.

Many liver disease specialists and psychiatrists said they believe pandemic-related stressors such as isolation and unemployment are causing more people to drink and are fueling the spike in liver disease cases. “There’s been a tremendous influx,” Haripriya Maddur, a hepatologist at Northwestern Medicine, told the Los Angeles Times, adding that many of her patients with alcoholism have relapsed during the pandemic and required hospitalization.

Dr. Maddur and other physicians have expressed concerns that the stressors leading to higher alcohol consumption will continue well after lockdowns are lifted.

“I think we’re only on the cusp of this,” Dr. Maddur said. “Quarantine is one thing, but the downturn of the economy, that’s not going away anytime soon



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Unique Rheumatology Practice Opportunity – Great Neck, NY
Partnership opportunity available at an established rheumatology practice in Great Neck, NY. Looking for a dedicated physician to join our practice or merge practices. Contact 516-972-2986 / susanrita1@msn.com for more info.

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