February 2020

Study: Family physicians spend up to 33 hours in monthly EHR overtime

By Jackie Drees for Becker’s Hospital Review The amount of time family physicians spend working in the EHR after hours can vary widely, ranging from zero to 33 hours each month, according to a study published in the Family Medicine February 2020 journal issue. University of Arizona College of Medicine researchers analyzed EHR use of 24 family…

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5 steps to reduce administrative burden for physicians

By Mackenzie Bean for Becker’s Hospital Review It’s easy for physicians to identify the meaningless tasks that contribute to burnout — many of which are related to EHR use. However, few are empowered to speak up about these burdens, according to a blog post from the American Medical Association. AMA recommends healthcare organizations establish a…

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Hospitals spent $2.5B on social determinant programs from 2017 to 2019

By Shannon Muchmore for Healthcare Dive Dive Brief: U.S. health systems invested at least $2.5 billion in programs around social determinants of health from 2017 to 2019, according to a study published Monday in Health Affairs. Researchers found that over the time period studied, 57 health systems including more than 900 hospitals developed 78 unique…

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An AI algorithm detected the coronavirus outbreak a week before the CDC

By Andrea Park for Becker’s Hospital Review Six days before the CDC’s Jan. 6 alert of a flulike outbreak in China, and nine days before the World Health Organization’s Jan. 9 notice, an artificial intelligence-powered platform had already detected and sent warning of the coronavirus outbreak, Wired reports. BlueDot, a global health monitoring platform based in Canada,…

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Viewpoint: Female physicians, it’s OK to act differently than men

Mackenzie Bean for Becker’s Hospital Review Female physicians often hide unique characteristics that distinguish them from male colleagues, conforming to “an antiquated stereotype of what it means to be a physician,” Nisha Mehta, MD, a radiologist in Charlotte, N.C., wrote in an op-ed for Medscape. Dr. Mehta outlined numerous examples of what this looks like…

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Codes for social determinants rarely used, analysis finds

By Shannon Muchmore for Healthcare Dive Dive Brief: In the first two years diagnostic codes specific to social determinants of health were available in Medicare fee-for-service claims, they were used for only 1.4% of the total beneficiary population, according to a new report from CMS. Use of the Z codes, first implemented for Medicare FFS…

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