The safe return to elective surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the stories you missed on [KevinMD](. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors [During COVID-19]( wearables are being used to identify those who are about to get sick and to preserve limited hospital resources for the sickest patients. However, [liability risks remain](. As you make plans to [reopen your medical practice during COVID-19]( consider following these 10 recommendations to [keep patients and office staff safe](. [With hundreds of telehealth solutions on the market]( and with a wide range of capabilities, how can you move quickly to implement a HIPAA-compliant solution for your practice? Plan your telehealth strategy by [downloading our eGuide](. [Tax planning for physicians]( updated with recent COVID-19 changes. Learn how to save taxes and keep more of what you make by registering for [this month’s webinars]( Make the Most of Your Home Office and Maximize Your C Corporation Fringe Benefits. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: May 25, 2020 [The safe return to elective surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital for the economic viability of health systems]( It is the ultimate irony that health care professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic are among the highest risk, not only for exposure to the deadly virus, but economically. Whether they are inundated with COVID-19 patients or still awaiting the surge, […] [I have discovered the immense strength it takes to be vulnerable]( As I sit through another meeting discussing our facility’s preparedness for COVID-19, my mind circles back to my infant at home. Husband and I are both frontline physicians, fully aware we may need to take on more shifts and responsibilities. Do I have a COVID-19 preparedness plan for my family? What will I do if […] [Why direct primary care is thriving in COVID-19]( I grew up a New York Yankees baseball fan in the fifties and sixties. Among the many stars on the Yankees, none became more famous for one-liners and quips than #8, Yogi Berra. Yogi’s famous reminder, “It ain’t over til it’s over,” seems so fitting today as we await some sort of resolution to the […] [The unremitting adventure of COVID recovery]( COVID-19 is taking a toll on my mental well-being in a way I had not expected. I have a rather high distress tolerance. I am a pediatric emergency psychiatrist. Now I am a wounded healer battling anxiety and fears from the constant unknown taking place inside my body. In early March, before New York State […] [What is routine? Preventative care in the age of COVID.]( Since the arrival of COVID-19 in America, most health care systems have adopted a policy delaying non-essential or non-urgent procedures and appointments in the hopes of preserving PPE and minimizing interpersonal exposure. Despite resultant furloughs, frustrations, and massive financial losses, the practice remains relatively non-controversial as the safest course for patients and staff. Numerous professional […] [Observations from “seeing” patients on the other side of the phone]( Little did I know when I selected my sub-specialty during residency that 15 years later, we would be at the forefront of a pandemic. Over the last eight weeks, I have, just like many physicians trained in pulmonary and critical care medicine, spent countless hours in the intensive care unit (ICU) treating patients with COVID-19, […] [Calm in the face of the hideous reality of death]( An excerpt from Fragile: Beauty in Chaos, Grace in Tragedy, and the Hope That Lives in Between. I remember standing motionless in the doctors’ lounge, staring at my hands. Things had changed. I was someone different, someone my family and friends might not recognize if I let them in, really let them see my true […] [Charting in uncharted territory: Scribing during COVID-19]( On Friday, March 27, 2020, California went on lockdown in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It changed every Californian’s life, including my own. As the newly appointed chief scribe, the possibility that I would be jobless by the time Monday rolled around, was the last of my worries. What would happen to the patients […] [Remember the art of medicine during virtual visits]( The COVID-19 crisis has forced upon us the rapid adoption of telemedicine with all its advantages and flaws. It has certainly allowed physicians to evaluate patients safely and to assess them while continuing to allow them to physically distance. It many cases, it has allowed for the recognition of an exacerbation of a chronic illness […] [Is everyone anxious? The mental toll of the pandemic.]( The chart for the first patient of the morning states, “elevated blood pressure for two weeks.” As I enter the room, I see a frail, elderly woman perched gingerly in the chair. She has on large sunglasses and a fabric mask. She looks apprehensive, so I introduce myself quickly. Before COVID-19, I would shake her […] [Back to school in the pandemic era]( As of May 17, 2020, there are approximately 1.5 million documented cases of COVID-19 in the United States. Of those infected, 90,000 have died. The current population of the United States is estimated to be 331 million. This means COVID-19 infections have only been confirmed in less than one-half of 1 percent of Americans. This […] [Flattening the curve of COVID’s emotional impact]( For weeks, our health care workforce has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic staring straight at mortality – their patients and their own. They have been single-mindedly focused on the task at hand, doing what needs to be done while instinctually suppressing their emotional response. The job requires this, and they have done […] [Tragic optimism in the time of COVID-19]( Whispers of fluctuating rumors had filled our ears for the last week; group messages were exploding with controversy — the invisible threat, COVID-19, had reached the Texas Medical Center. All meetings for over 25 people were canceled, effective immediately. Suddenly, during the season when as a third-year medical student, I was supposed to be rotating […] [How this ophthalmology resident contributes during COVID-19 pandemic]( A call to arms The thought never crossed my mind that as an ophthalmology resident, I would play a direct role in treating patients with this novel virus. The rapidity with which the virus had spread would become a poignant reminder of the lethality of pandemics. In a few short weeks of the first COVID […] [Breaking the rules to give a bit of hope in a desperate situation]( Many years ago, I was given a literary award from the Mary Roberts Rinehart Foundation. It was for $175 and was an encouragement to finish an American Indian novel I was then writing. “Not enough to quit your job,” I remember was a line from the letter I received from the foundation’s rep, Barbara. And […] [Cause unknown: the burden of diagnosis]( Around three weeks ago, my 72-year-old patient, Mr. J., woke up feeling severely short of breath. He felt unusually tired, noticed a dry cough, and felt achy in his arms and legs. Suspicious of COVID-19, he and his wife called an ambulance and went to the nearest New York City emergency room. At first, the […] [A digital vaccination scar for the 21st century]( In the 1800s, smallpox ravaged the world. Fortunately, a vaccine had been developed that could protect individuals. This vaccine left a scar at the site of injection and identified the individuals as “immune.” As we look towards the future of the COVID-19 pandemic, unless the virus burns out or an effective therapeutic intervention becomes available, […] [If you’re falling apart, should you still perform the pancreas biopsy?]( Many radiologists choose the specialty because they don’t like interacting with sick people. As a highly sensitive person, I went into radiology to distance myself from patient suffering, as a means of self-protection. Radiology has allowed me to compartmentalize, sort of. It allowed me to have three healthy babies: one in residency, one at the […] [A physician wedding in the age of COVID]( April 2020 was to be a month of personal milestones. I would be traveling to Mexico with sixty closest friends and family to marry the woman of my dreams. Twelve days later, I would celebrate my thirtieth birthday. Suffice it to say, I was looking forward to April with the excited anticipation of a child […] [Vulnerability gives us strength in a time when so much seems beyond our control]( I pull my car into the garage and exhale wearily. I’ve just finished rounds at the hospital, including PUIs for COVID-19. I’m lucky. I get a new N95 every day, but still, I’ve seen the steady reports of diligent physicians getting infected, so I know I must be careful. I strip off my scrubs in […] [Are there reasons to doubt remdesivir?]( On April 29th Anthony Fauci announced the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, an institute he runs, had completed a study of the antiviral remdesivir for COVID-19. The drug reduced time to recovery from 15 to 11 days, he said, a breakthrough proving “a drug can block this virus.” Now people are clamoring for […] [Confessions in the time of COVID-19]( Anguish festers, not having being caring doing enough Not enough to salve the suffering, Like a medic behind the front lines, Arbitrary lines, enemy lines too – Synesthete to unseen struggles, Bearing witness to uncertainty. Loss. Sheltered and “safe,” guilt echoes with every knock. Overwhelmed, retreating, But oh please, not too far. Beyond walls, masks, […] [Don’t forget the power that words and acts of kindness and comfort carry]( Abraham Verghese’s must-read book, Cutting for Stone, addresses powerfully the human side of medicine. It is a poignant reminder of the sacredness within medicine created by the unique bond that is the doctor-patient relationship. We are allowed into that most intimate space, the life of a person at their most vulnerable and frightened time. In […] [Child abuse in the time of COVID]( “I used to only have to deal with him touching me after school — now it’s all the time.” “She’s doing drugs more because she lost her job last week; she started hitting me again.” As a pediatrician-in-training, I’ve been concerned about my patients’ safety with schools closed, jobs lost, and family stress at all-time […] --------------------------------------------------------------- If a friend sent you this email and you want to subscribe, go to [KevinMD](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 345 Hudson Street New York NY 10014 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](