The phenomenon of burnout is cited to affect over 50% of the medical workforce in the United States1. Burnout is known as a cluster of symptoms in which an individual experiences consistently low physical and emotional energy levels, deficits in…
Blog
Evolution of Anesthesiology Residency Programs
Residency is a crucial step after medical school. It is during this training period that medical students develop into clinicians and acquire the skills to not only care for patients, but also deliberate on life-or-death decisions. For anesthesiology residents, this…
Updates on Value Based Care
In medicine, reimbursement drives change in clinical practice faster than evidence. Bundled payments from Medicare since the development of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) epitomize a heightened value of measurable outcomes. The Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) directs physicians to…
Virtual Reality as a Tool for Surgical and Anesthesia Training
Medical education continues to develop year after year, and anesthesiology continues to do so as well. In the conventional pathway of training to become a physician, future anesthesiologists are required to pass two years of a traditional pre-clinical academic program,…
Double-Booked Surgeries: Policy and Practice for Anesthesiologists
Operations Management for clinics, hospitals, and surgical services represents multiple challenges with regards to managing patient flow and delivering services in a punctual, cost-sensitive manner. One important challenge that has gained interest in the press concerns the practice of double-booking…
Electrosurgical Interference with ICDs
Sudden cardiac death is prevalent among patients with conduction abnormalities, New York Heart Association Heart Failure of class 4, and other heart disorders. Large clinical trials have shown that implantable technology can mitigate the risk of death in these patients.…
Multi-Modal Pain Regimens May Affect Post-Operative Pain Control for Patients
In 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services made a statement that the opioid crisis represented a nationwide public health emergency1. The recent recognition of widespread overuse of opioids from physicians and policy-makers alike supports this declaration. Opioid monotherapy…
Spinal Injections in Immunosuppressed Patients
Introduction of steroids into the epidural space are utilized for the treatment of pain from a variety of causes. Steroids have glucocorticoid properties which downregulate processes associated with inflammation of the nerve root from compression or irritation. They also treat…
Complexities Inherent to Healthcare Price Transparency
In the United States healthcare system, price transparency is a complex topic that has spurred countless debates. One critical sub-topic of cost of care that is rarely discussed in mainstream sources, is the difference between cost and charge. Particularly in…
Updates on Perioperative Blood Management
Anemia is an independent risk factor associated with significant morbidity and mortality. As such, managing and treating a patient’s anemia is critical to reducing the associated risks of bleeding and transfusions.1 Patient blood management is a multidisciplinary approach to managing…