The United States is experiencing an increase of opioid related deaths, driven by high rates of prescription, high prescription dosages, and high rates of opioid use and misuse.[1] The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that 2.6 million Americans over…
Tag: New York City Anesthesia Services
Sharps Safety
Sharps related injuries are especially common in the perioperative setting. Anesthesia providers, perioperative nurses, and surgical staff are at particular risk for sustaining injuries from sharp instruments, given their need to administer medications, draw samples of blood and bodily fluid,…
Selective Cannabinoids: A Potential Adjuvant for Chronic Neuropathic Pain?
For anesthesia pain specialists, neuropathic pain continues to be an elusive target. Anti-epileptics, antidepressant, and opiate medications have historically been used for its treatment, but nonetheless as many as two in three patients who suffer from neuropathic pain are recalcitrant…
Changes to How Small Businesses are Covered Under BCRA
On July 13th, the GOP released a more recent draft of their Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017. The original version was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on June 26, 2017.[i] Though the original bill was slated…
How Do We Prevent the Physician Shortage?
A multipronged approach will be required to mitigate the possibility for severe physician shortages, specifically in specialized fields such as anesthesia. A physician shortage is defined as the gap between physician supply and demand, as determined by institutions within the…
Effects of the Per Capita Medicaid Caps in the House AHCA
On June 16th, a bipartisan group of governors authored a letter to the Senate calling for a more open approach to legislating healthcare reform while heavily criticizing the House version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), or the so-called…
Big Data and Cybersecurity
In 2015, over 77% of office-based physicians reported using a certified EHR to manage clinical care.[i] From the smartphones in physicians’ pockets, to the vast EHR registries converging upon interoperability and the IoT medical devices in patients’ bodies, there are…
The Geriatric Patient and Perioperative Management
With the increasing elderly population in the United States, it becomes increasingly important to understand the physiologic changes of aging to better tailor anesthetic management of the geriatric patient. A review of changes by system is presented below. The CNS…
A Typical Day for an Anesthesiologist
A physician anesthesiologist starts preparing for his or her cases the day before surgery. This includes a thorough review of each patient’s medical history. Devising a thoughtful anesthesia plan requires the anesthesiologist to consider all patient factors in conjunction with…
Costs of Data Collection for Measuring Performance in Regards to Anesthesia
The fundamental purpose of healthcare is to achieve good health outcomes for patients (Murphy, 2012). Clinical outcomes are measured and published to ultimately improve healthcare quality for individuals. The role of performance measurement in healthcare is thought to ensure a…