Closer Look
Hospitals want to buy doctors' happiness with Nuance's AI scribe. The price is anyone's guess
Adobe
Doctors are desperate to escape the numbing documentation their jobs require. Microsoft's Nuance Communications sells an AI medical scribe platform to health systems willing to buy their doctors' happiness and, along with avoiding burnout, allowing them to see more patients. But the software's price tag is both hefty and hidden. Executives at four health systems using the software, called DAX, told STAT's Brittany Trang that while the software might make it possible to see more patients or justify higher charges to insurers, the high price tag means it's not boosting their bottom lines.
What's more, they're frustrated by not just with the steep costs, but also by high and inconsistently applied onboarding fees plus a lack of transparency about how much peer institutions are paying for the same service. None of the four executives, who requested anonymity, said they are paying the same amount. Read more, including Nuance's response.
pandemic
Two years after Covid infection, 1 in 7 unvaccinated people report related symptoms
This deep into the pandemic, there are few conclusions about who is more vulnerable to long Covid, although evidence is growing that being unvaccinated heightens risk. But how many people does that mean? A new study in BMJ followed unvaccinated people for two years and found 17% hadn't regained their pre-Covid health and 18% had lingering symptoms. That litany includes the now-familiar altered taste or smell, malaise after exertion, shortness of breath, brain fog, and anxiety.
The researchers compared 1,106 people who were infected with the original viral strain (through January 2021) to 628 people who weren't. They acknowledge the study was observational and relied on people's reports of their health, but suggest their work narrows other estimates for long Covid ranging between 22% and 75%. Still, "our findings imply that a sizable number of people might be affected by post-Covid-19 condition and have protracted health issues," they write.
reproductive health
Opinion: Indiana doctors rally around advocacy after abortion reprimand
Last week OB-GYN Caitlin Bernard was fined and reprimanded by the Indiana State Licensing board for violating patient privacy laws by discussing the case of a 10-year-old girl who traveled from Ohio for an abortion. Four of her friends and colleagues call on more physicians to follow her lead and advocate for public health, saying they see how the "political determinants of health" directly affect patients. Such advocacy may lead to professional or personal repercussions, but they argue that not speaking out would be far worse.
"If physicians don't stand up to protect patient decision-making, legislative bodies will continue to pass laws to limit care in ways that put individual and public health at risk," Katie McHugh, Gabriel Bosslet, Caroline Rouse, and Tracey Wilkinson write in a STAT First Opinion. "Make no mistake that this represents a threat to the medical profession and public health." Read more.
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