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Uncategorized Published - 21 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
The persecution of pain management doctors

Author: L. JOSEPH PARKER, MD KevinMD.com The call came in during a busy workday. My comprehensive primary care clinic had been built over a decade of hard work and had a general practice clinic staffed by a very capable former surgeon and several nurse practitioners, as well as a pain management program and an addiction […]

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Uncategorized Published - 20 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
Using Preanesthesia Clinic Visits to Improve Advance Directives Completion

AUTHORS: Tooba, Rubabin MD et al  Anesthesia & Analgesia 137(4):p 906-916, October 2023. BACKGROUND: Advance directives documentation can increase the likelihood that patient’s wishes are respected if they become incapacitated. Unfortunately, completion rates are suboptimal overall, and disparities may exist, especially for vulnerable groups. We assessed whether implementing an initiative to standardize advance directives discussions during […]

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Uncategorized Published - 20 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
Opioid-Sparing Multimodal Analgesia Use After Cesarean Delivery Under General Anesthesia

AUTHORS: Zanolli, Nicole C. BA et al  Anesthesia & Analgesia 137(2):p 256-266, August 2023. BACKGROUND: Optimizing analgesia after cesarean delivery is essential to quality of patient recovery. The American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology recommend multimodal analgesia (MMA). However, little is known about clinical implementation of these guidelines after cesarean […]

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Uncategorized Published - 20 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
Using Data for Safety and Quality Improvement

Authors: Holly B. Ende, MD; Jonathan P. Wanderer, MD, MPhil Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Vol 37 Issue 1 The delivery of safe and effective anesthesia care is grounded in the science of quality improvement, which relies on accurate and timely reporting of patient outcomes. In the era of the electronic health record (EHR) and growing […]

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Uncategorized Published - 20 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
Racial Disparities in Compensation Among US Anesthesiologists: Results of a National Survey of Anesthesiologists

AUTHORS: Vandenberg, Megan T. BA et al  Anesthesia & Analgesia 137(2):p 268-276, August 2023. BACKGROUND: A racial compensation disparity among physicians across numerous specialties is well documented and persists after adjustment for age, sex, experience, work hours, productivity, academic rank, and practice structure. This study examined national survey data to determine whether there are racial differences […]

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Uncategorized Published - 20 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
Anesthesia Care for Patients With Limited English Proficiency

Authors: Harrison Charwat, MD; Meghan Lane-Fall, MD, MSHP, FCCM Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Vol 38 Issue 1 Language barriers in health care are not benign, and they contribute to disparities in care and outcomes for patients who do not speak English well as compared to English-speaking patients. Individuals with “limited English proficiency” (LEP) are defined […]

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Uncategorized Published - 19 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
Supraglottic Airway Devices (SADs) and Laparoscopic Surgery

Shauna Schwartz, DO; Yong G. Peng, MD, PhD, FASE, FASA Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Vol 38 Issue 1 Supraglottic airway devices (SADs) continue to gain popularity and are increasingly used in anesthetic practices. However, the efficacy and safety of SADs for laparoscopic surgery are disputed. Although not traditionally used in laparoscopic surgery, SADs offer several […]

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Uncategorized Published - 19 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
Dopamine-Antagonist Antiemetics in PONV Management: Entering a New Era?

Authors: Connie Chung, MD; Joseph W. Szokol, MD, JD, MBA Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Vol 38 No. 1 INTRODUCTION In the second half of the last century, dopamine D2-receptor antagonists were a mainstay of the management of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV).1 However, at the start of the 21st century, they sharply declined in popularity, primarily […]

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Uncategorized Published - 19 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
Perioperative Considerations for Patients with Mpox (Monkeypox)

Authors: Jonathan M. Tan, MD, MPH, MBI, FASA et al Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Vol 38 No. 1 INTRODUCTION Mpox, previously known as Monkeypox, is a global health concern.1 While first detected in humans in 1970 in the Republic of the Congo, its spread to nonendemic countries in 2022 led the World Health Organization (WHO) to […]

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Uncategorized Published - 19 September, 2023    By - Dr Clemens
CMS includes more payment cuts in 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule

Author: Michael Walter Cardiovascular Business The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule, which details multiple policy changes to Medicare payments for services received on or after Jan. 1, 2024. The proposal includes a 3.34% reduction to the PFS conversion factor, which falls to $32.75 (from […]

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