Articles Tagged With: outpatient
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Outpatient Management of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a major public health concern. The availability of new therapies, as well as their use, continues to be shrouded in confusion. This discussion provides a brief clinical overview of COVID-19, followed by a focus on outpatient management and therapy based on our current understanding and available therapies.
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Feds Seek Comments on Mail-Back Program for Unused Opioids
Patients could use prepaid envelopes to safely return surplus pain pills.
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Identifying Community-Acquired Pneumonia During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Pneumonia is an infection of the alveoli of the lungs. Alveolar infection results in inflammation that disrupts normal pulmonary function, producing impaired gas exchange. Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Pathogens can infect the lung parenchyma through three routes: inhalation, aspiration, or hematogenous spread. In community-acquired pneumonia, the infection is initiated outside the hospital. The prevalence of COVID-19, the clinical disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has changed the landscape of pneumonia.
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The Basic Elements of Healthcare Reimbursement, Part 3
In this month’s issue, the conversation on healthcare reimbursement turns to the additional prospective payment systems found across the continuum of care. Prospective payment remains a way in which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can determine the rates for care based on predetermined amounts rather than on billing. The processes are similar to the use of the diagnosis-related groups in the acute care setting, with some differences.
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Outpatient Foley Catheter for Induction of Labor in Nulliparous Women
In this randomized controlled trial among nulliparous patients with low Bishop scores, outpatient placement of a Foley catheter the day prior to scheduled admission, when compared to inpatient placement, showed a decreased mean time from admission to delivery.
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Study Results Suggest ASCs May Not Be Lowest-Cost Option for All Procedures
Generally, ASCs are perceived as safe, high-quality, low-cost settings for many surgical procedures. Typically, ASC costs are lower than those in the similarly safe and high-quality settings of hospital outpatient departments, which also handle same-day surgeries. However, the authors of a recent study found there is one striking exception: outpatient joint replacement surgery.
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More Women Opting for Outpatient Laparoscopy for Hysterectomies
Hysterectomy is the second most common procedure performed for women in the United States. Laparotomy followed by inpatient hospitalization has been the traditional surgical approach. A recent report suggests that fewer women are opting for traditional procedures.
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Adverse Reactions to Antibiotics in Patients Receiving Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy
Approximately one-fifth of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy recipients developed a clinically significant antimicrobial-related adverse drug event.
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Antibiotic Stewardship in Outpatient Settings
The implementation of antibiotic stewardship principles in all outpatient settings is crucial to the struggle against growing antimicrobial resistance and to optimal patient outcomes.
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Measures Added to Hospital, ASC Quality Program
CMS did not propose to add new measures to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Quality Reporting Program for 2018 or 2019 payment determinations, the ASC Association said. However, the agency proposed that seven measures be added for 2020 payment determinations for ASCs and hospital outpatient departments.