It’s the first time we have vaccines for all three fall respiratory viruses that hospitalize and kill hundreds of thousands annually. This is a big deal, that is, if we utilize them. So, we thought collecting information about them in one place would be helpful. This is the what, who, and when for each.
In an increasingly diverse country, connecting patients with providers who look like them and feel culturally relatable will lead to better health outcomes for all.
Picture this: Two dozen men gather in a classroom in rural south Georgia to get their hair shaped up and talk about life. The barbers are the main attraction, but the get-together is organized by medical students – specifically Black medical students – as a way to reach people who might not otherwise see a doctor. They check blood pressure amid the buzz of electric clippers. No surprise, nearly everyone in the room is hypertensive.
The latest census of physician licensees shows a growing population of female physicians and those with a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degree.
In 2022, 37% of the physician workforce was female, compared with 30% in 2010, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards’ (FSMB) biennial “Census of Licensed Physicians in the U.S.” The number of licensed female physicians grew by 54% since 2010, compared with an 11% increase for male physicians, reported Aaron Young, PhD, of the FSMB, and colleagues.
In addition, the percentage of DOs in the physician workforce rose to 11% from 7% during that time, and the number of doctors with a DO degree grew 89% from 2010 to 2022, compared with an 18% increase for MDs, they noted in the Journal of Medical Regulation.
For 35 years, this town’s residents have brought all manner of illnesses, aches, and worries to Kevin de Regnier’s storefront clinic on the courthouse square — and he loves them for it.
De Regnier is an osteopathic physician who chose to run a family practice in a small community. Many of his patients have been with him for years. Many have chronic health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or mental health struggles, which he helps manage before they become critical.
Quality and cost of care were similar between allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) physicians who care for older patients in hospital settings, according to a retrospective observational study.
Of over 300,000 Medicare admissions, the adjusted 30-day mortality rate was similar between MDs (9.4%) and DOs (9.5%), with an average marginal effect (AME) of -0.1 percentage point (95% CI, -0.4 to 0.1, P=0.36), reported Atsushi Miyawaki, MD, PhD, of the University of Tokyo in Japan, and co-authors.
Some racial and ethnic groups are underrepresented in the medical field because they face unique barriers to admission to medical school. One admission requirement that can present a barrier for applicants is the physician letter of recommendation (PLOR). Undergraduate students report confusion with the application process and lack of mentorship to be two of their biggest challenges to becoming a doctor. It is especially challenging to those who already have limited access to practicing physicians. Therefore, we hypothesized that in the presence of a PLOR requirement, the diversity of students who apply and matriculate into medical school will be decreased.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently published the requirements for training for the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act. These requirements are tied to practitioners’ initial or renewal DEA registration starting June 27, 2023, and the only exception is a practitioner that is solely a veterinarian.
Under the MATE Act, practitioners must complete at least eight hours of training on opioid or other substance use disorders, as well as the safe pharmacological management of dental pain. The education requirement can be met in one of three ways:
Do you want a less qualified individual performing your surgery or other invasive procedures, ordering x-rays and lab tests, and being responsible for telling the difference between a life-threatening condition and one that is less serious that shares similar symptoms?
If your answer is no, can you identify which of the following health care professionals complete medical school and residency training, qualifying them for unlimited medical licensure in every state?
Childhood and adolescence are periods of life with rapid growth and development in which the psychosocial factors of one’s environment can have a profound effect on health. There is increasing evidence that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have significant negative effects on long-term health with effects persisting into subsequent generations.
But now, doctors will have to take substance use disorder training to get their DEA license. The Biden administration’s recent spending bill contained under-the-radar changes for addiction medicine, including eliminating the X waiver requirement for clinicians who treat opioid use disorder with medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
