Impact of COVID-19 Privacy Policy Expiration
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) granted enforcement discretion for certain aspects of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) during the public health emergency. However, a recent announcement by the OCR declares the expiration of HIPAA enforcement discretion related […]
Dental Waterlines Found to Contain Bacteria
A number of dental waterlines have been found to contain waterborne bacteria, infecting children with nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM). This caused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a health advisory on bacteria in the pipes of dental facilities. Dental Waterlines and Infections Biofilms containing bacteria can easily develop in dental waterlines. This […]
Preventing Healthcare-associated Infections
As health systems continue to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, they must brace for a new threat: the rising rate of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). For example, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia (which is resistant to many antibiotics) is infecting an increasing number of patients in healthcare facilities. Tackling the increased rate of HAIs is […]
New COVID-19 Variants and Symptoms
According to Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady, the BA.4 and BA.5 COVID-19 variants are not presenting drastically different symptoms. However, there are more new symptoms to be aware of. These variants are highly contagious and are associated with cold and flu-like symptoms. These symptoms include night sweats, fever, and sore throat. […]
AMC Offering Continuing Education (CME) Courses
AMC offers 22 courses approved for Continuing Medical Education (CME): This Enduring Material activity, Meaningful Use, has been reviewed and is acceptable for credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Term of approval begins 06/13/2018. Term of approval is for one year from this date. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the […]
COVID-19: Mask Enforcement, a Losing Battle for Industries
Current Headlines Considering the resurgence of COVID-19 in the United States, entire industries are scrambling to maintain consistency in mitigation measures. In addition to the numerous patchwork guidance introduced by government and health entities, implementing respective policies among businesses and healthcare facilities grows to a challenge. Particularly, certain customers and patrons, even employees, express opposition […]
The Trump Administration on COVID-19
Case Counts Around the United States Around the country, the number of coronavirus cases is increasing daily. Even though case counts are rising, The Trump Administration thinks the virus is under control. On Sunday, Florida reported a 12,000 case increase. This is the fifth consecutive day that Florida’s daily case count has surpassed 10,000. However, […]
Cosmetology Redo Reopen
In close contact The cosmetology industry and its sub-sectors, like hairstyling, are in peril after establishments reopen across the country. As mentioned in a previous post, two Missouri stylists exposed over 140 clients and 7 coworkers with COVID-19 over the span of eight days. The Great Clips stylists wore PPE and maintained proper sanitary practices […]
Coronavirus Cases Continue to Rise
An Increase in Coronavirus Cases As of today, the number of coronavirus cases around the world is still increasing. According to the World Health Organization’s director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “In the last 24 hours, there have been 106,000 cases reported to WHO — the most in a single day since the outbreak began.” Of […]
Understaffed, Underpaid, Unappreciated
Throughout the Corona virus pandemic, essential workers across the U.S. held strikes protesting unsafe working conditions and subpar compensation. Such concerns are emerging from nearly every essential industry such as food services, manufacturing, transportation, retail, and healthcare. As the country comes closer to a reopen, labor unions and protesters hope discussions with employers can produce […]
OSHA Excludes Essential Workers
In response to thousands of complaints, OSHA presented its approach to handling workplace safety on Monday, April 13. Accordingly, OSHA will be prioritizing healthcare employees amidst this COVID-19 crisis. The Department of Labor agency encountered swift retaliation when this update reached essential workers outside of healthcare. Their concern: OSHA affirmed its negligence to public needs […]
COVID-19 and Chloroquine
As researchers are coming closer to a solution for COVID-19, the anti-malarial drug, Chloroquine, surfaced as a possible treatment for mild to severe cases of the virus. Accordingly, such proclamations by many, including President Trump and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, immediately caused a national shortage. The appeal of Chloroquine and its derivative, Hydroxychloroquine, comes […]