Several nurses have been suspended for refusing to treat patients with coronavirus disease 2019 without N95 masks; researchers found virus particles in infants’ guts 1 month after birth; surgical residents face racial/ethnic and religious discrimination.
Nurses in California are being suspended for refusing to treat patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) without N95 masks, the AP reports. According to the National Nurses Union, 10 nurses at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, are being paid but not allowed to return to work pending the outcome of a human resources investigation. N95 masks can filter 95% of all airborne particles, but administrators at the hospital did not provide nurses with the masks, claiming they were unnecessary, according to nurse Mike Gulick.
Within 1 month after birth, infants’ guts are colonized by detectable viruses, according to a study published in Nature. In some cases, these viruses can lead to gastrointestinal disorders. Researchers used fluorescent staining of virus-like particles to show that although there are initially no or few particles at birth, 1 month later particle numbers increase to 109 per gram, and these numbers appear to persist throughout the infant’s life. They found that stool samples from babies exclusively fed formula exhibited more viruses compared with those fed breastmilk, supporting prior reports that found breastmilk to be protective against viral infections.
Survey results published in JAMA Surgery found a large proportion of nonwhite residents in general surgery training experience racial/ethnic discrimination. Of the nearly 6000 survey respondents, 23.7% reported experiencing discrimination based on race/ethnicity or religion. Around 70% of black respondents said they had experienced discrimination, as did 46% of Asian respondents. According to survey results, 62.4% of black residents reported being mistaken for nonphysicians while 25% experienced slurs or hurtful comments, most commonly from patients and families of those being treated.
Health Equity Adjustments in Medicare HVBP Program Will Benefit Safety Net Hospitals, Study Says
March 29th 2024Medicare’s upcoming health equity adjustment in the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program will reduce disproportionate penalization among safety net hospitals and those serving high proportions of Black patients, according to a recent study.
Read More
Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
Listen
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
Listen
FDA Approves Ravulizumab-cwvz for Rare Autoimmune Disease
March 28th 2024Ravulizumab-cwvz (Ultomiris) received a label expansion by the FDA for the treatment of adult neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in patients with anti–aquaporin-4 antibodies after trials results showed it could prevent relapses.
Read More