A combined concern based on professional image and safety drives the American College of
Surgeons new communique on clothing. No dangling surgical masks, loose jewelry, grungy scrubs or uncovered ponytails or mutton-chop sideburns allowed. And, much like pro athletes, ditch the uniform (scrubs) for a jacket and tie for “encounters outside the OR.”

“The whole idea is to support professionalism on behalf of patients,” ACS Executive Director David Hoyt, MD, said in a news story.

The guidelines, which the ACS says were developed based on “based on professionalism, common sense, decorum, and the available evidence,” were designed standardize dress codes, which vary in different organizations.

“There’s a lot of confusion as to what is out there and what is being assessed. We felt it was very important to create a document that tries to evaluate everything and put it into perspective,” Hoyt said in the story. “This is what the surgical community feels is appropriate and best practice.”

Such dress codes aim to ensure that physicians look professional, which research shows is important to patients: Data aggregated from 30 studies found that most patients prefer physicians in professional attire.

As defined within the study, professional attire is “a collared shirt, tie and slacks for male physicians and blouse (with or without [Read More]

Hospitals and health systems across the country are partnering with Uber to help patients make it to appointments on time, according to a recent article in the Atlantic magazine.

Columbia, Md.-based MedStar Health is one such system. The nonprofit health care system began a partnership with Uber in January. Through the partnership, patients can use Uber can book trips via the MedStar website. Medicaid patients or those without the Uber app can set up rides by calling MedStar’s patient advocates directly.

The arrangement has been wildly popular. “We probably had 50 different systems across the country reach out to us and ask us, ‘How did you do it?’ I would say that it has been a seismic shift for people who have used the service and the places we’ve provided it,” said Michael Ruiz, MedStar’s chief digital officer, according to the report.

The trend is occurring in a variety of systems. Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center and Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Hospital both recently decided to work with Uber. Other organizations — such as Relatient, a healthcare communications company, and National MedTrans Network, a transportation company — have done likewise, having partnered with Uber and Lyft, respectively. Medicaid patients in Idaho have a new way to get to the [Read More]

The American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the following statements this week regarding the Zika virus as they hosted a webinar for American’s physicians and clinicians on the current status of the outbreak.

“As the Zika virus outbreak continues to evolve and more Americans become impacted by the virus, we must ensure that our nation’s physicians, and all clinicians, are prepared to handle possible cases of the virus and are equipped with the most up-to-date information to answer patients’ questions. The AMA and CDC will be holding a live webinar tonight to provide physicians and other clinicians with an update on the current status of the outbreak and the latest clinical guidance to help them diagnose and manage patients and prevent further transmission of the Zika virus,” said AMA President Andrew W. Gurman, MD.

The AMA will continue to update its online Zika Virus Resource Center with the latest Zika-related information from the CDC and other trusted healthcare organizations to support health care professionals in combatting and preventing complications from the virus to help keep their patients safe and healthy.

With an increasing number of Zika cases confirmed in the US, including this week’s news of the death of a newborn baby [Read More]

Wayne State University School of Medicine could be down 37 faculty members because of retirement and termination, according to The Detroit News.

The news was revealed via a letter to faculty members from Dean Jack Sobel, MD.

Eighteen faculty members have “agreed to retire, accept phased retirement or received notice of nonrenewal of their contract,” according to Dr. Sobel’s letter. Eleven others will be recommended for dismissal from their positions, and eight more chose to take part in separation agreements. Most of these eight will stay on staff at Wayne State until after Sept. 1.

These 37 members are part of the 700 researchers in the medical school’s basic sciences and clinical departments, according to Charles Parrish, PhD, president of the American Association of University Professors-AFT Michigan Local 6075.

Dr. Sobel’s letter comes after Wayne State warned faculty members of the consequences of their unproductive habits in March. “Too many of our faculty [members] have been unproductive for many years,” Dr. Sobel and David Hefner, Wayne State’s vice president for health affairs, wrote in a letter to 527 faculty members. “They have been allowed to consume needed resources totaling many millions of dollars.” Mr. Hefner claimed between 60 and 80 faculty members were categorized as unproductive, and he and [Read More]