The malady lingers on

Posted on by Deval (Reshma) Paranjpe, MD, FACS

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, reports are starting to emerge which paint a fuller picture of short- and intermediate-term damage to COVID survivors. Long-term studies obviously are years away, but we may increasingly see a pattern of symptoms and signs that indicate that while the patient may be considered recovered, significant ongoing issues remain.

A recent Science article by Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, “From ‘brain fog’ to heart damage, COVID-19’s lingering problems alarm scientists,” reviews some of these effects. Persistent problems include dyspnea, fatigue, tachycardia, joint aches, cognitive difficulties, persistent anosmia and multiorgan dysfunction. There are no large multicenter peer-reviewed studies on survivors published yet, only small studies measuring various outcomes with relatively small numbers of subjects.

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Pennsylvania Superior Court decision: Further deterioration of the peer review privilege

Posted on by Beth Anne Jackson, Esq.

In Leadbitter, J. v. Keystone Anesthesia v. Petraglia1 (Leadbitter), the Pennsylvania Superior Court (Superior Court) further eroded the evidentiary privilege afforded by the Peer Review Protection Act (PRPA).2 Over the last several years, the protection offered to the proceedings and records of a review committee has been whittled down by a series of cases that are inapposite.

Statutory background. The Pennsylvania General Assembly’s goal in passing PRPA was “to serve the legitimate purpose of maintaining high professional standards in the medical practice for the protection of patients and the general public.” The General Assembly determined that “because of the expertise and level of skill required in the practice of medicine, the medical profession itself is in the best position to police its own activities.”

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Reflections after 52 years

Posted on by Richard L. Green, MD

I am now 52 years post-medical school graduation and have practiced Allergy in Pittsburgh for 45 years. During my sojourn in this medical career, I have taken the opportunity on three occasions to look back and reflect on where we have been, where we are going and what it all means – a pontification of sort. I now am seeing patients two days a week … when we are not in lockdown … so consider myself still practicing actively. I am living proof that if you live long enough, there is no end to the surprises that life may have in store for us. 

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2020 ACMS Bulletin Photo Contest

Posted on by Meagan Sable
Mount Hood Reflection

Please note instructions below for participating in the 2020 ACMS Bulletin Photo Contest:
1. Email your VERTICAL jpg photos with a resolution of 300 dpi or higher to bulletin-contest@acms.org. Photos should be 8”W x 10”H.
2. You must be an ACMS member physician to submit photos.
3. Include the name of the photo (please keep file names short) as well as your name, specialty, address and phone number in the email.
4. You will receive verification that your photo has been received and is eligible to be entered in the contest.
a) Horizontal photos will not be considered.
b) Photos with low resolution will not be considered.

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August 2020 Bulletin Available

Posted on by Jim Ireland

Opinion

Editorial …………………………..234

The malady lingers on

Deval (Reshma) Paranjpe, MD, MBA, FACS

 

Editorial …………………………..238

Scientific misconduct

Richard H. Daffner, MD, FACR

 

Editorial ………………………….241

Reconnecting during COVID

Andrea G. Witlin, DO, PhD

 

Perspective ……………………..246

Telepsychiatry appointment adherence and productivity during COVID-19

Timothy Lesaca, MD

Pamela Pyle, AAS

 

Perspective ……………………..249

Reflections after 52 years

Richard L. Green, MD

 

Departments

 

Membership Benefits ……….244

Society News …………………..251

  • Pittsburgh Ophthalmology Society

Activities & Accolades ……..253

 

Articles

Materia Medica …………………254

Istradefylline (Nourianz®)

Samantha DeMarco, PharmD

Rachael Cardinal, PharmD, BCPS

Legal Summary ……………….256

Pennsylvania Superior Court decision: Further deterioration of the peer review privilege

Beth Anne Jackson, Esq.

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12 essential leadership skills

Posted on by Richard H. Daffner, MD, FACR

“I tell you this: you do not lead by hitting people over the head. Any damn fool can do that, but it’s usually called ‘assault,’ not leadership … I’ll tell you what leadership is. It’s persuasion – and conciliation – and education – and patience. It’s long, slow, tough work. It’s the only kind of leadership I know – or believe in – or will practice.”

– President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Wise words from a wise man. Many of us have, at one time or another, held a leadership position professionally, in the military, in the community, or in politics. Reduced to its simplest form, a leader is a person who tells people what to do, and they follow his/her request(s).

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Avoid employment law violations when dealing with COVID-19

Posted on by William H. Maruca, Esq.

As medical practices and other workplaces begin to emerge from the closures and restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers need to know what they can and cannot require of their employees. On March 21, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated a 2009 publication that had been issued during the H1N1 influenza outbreaks to advise employers of their rights and responsibilities under federal employment laws. Further guidance was published on June 17, 2020, in the form of Technical Assistance Questions and Answers, and in a question-and-answer webinar published on the agency’s website. The EEOC publications address the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).… Read more

Nourishment: Pandemic edition

Posted on by Deval (Reshma) Paranjpe, MD, FACS

COVID-19 has quashed plans for a normal restaurant edition of this editorial, so I’d like to offer you something different. You may be frequenting your favorite restaurants for take-out or delivery, or avoiding outside food altogether depending on your risk tolerance. For those of you getting delivery – do consider contactless pickup or calling the restaurant directly to order rather than using an app like GrubHub, Doordash or Seamless. These apps have been charging hidden fees to restaurants to the point where restaurants lose money when customers order through the app.

Instead of the simple pleasures of dining out, I’d like to focus on the simple pleasures of summer quarantine.… Read more

July 2020 Bulletin Available

Posted on by Jim Ireland

Opinion  

Editorial …………………………..201

Nourishment: Pandemic edition
Deval (Reshma) Paranjpe, MD, MBA, FACS

Editorial …………………………..203
Gateway Medical Society celebrates new star – A history of supporting African American youth
Amelia A. Paré, MD, FACS

Editorial …………………………..207
12 essential leadership skills
Richard H. Daffner, MD, FACR

Editorial …………………………..214
Finding my niche: Residency and beyond
Andrea G. Witlin, DO, PhD

Perspective ……………………..215
COVID-19 masquerade
Wendy Palastro, MD

Departments
Membership Benefits ……….212
Society News …………………..218
Pittsburgh Ophthalmology Society
Activities & Accolades ……. 220
Community Notes ……………220

Articles
Materia Medica …………………222
Innovations in postmenopausal osteoporosis: Romosozumab (Evenity®)
Karen M. Fancher, PharmD, BCOP

Legal Report ……………………225
Avoid employment law violations when dealing with COVID-19
William H.

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Floods, viruses and other disasters: Discussion on inner-city preparedness for catastrophic events

Posted on by William Simmons, MD and Taylor Robinson

 

 

Within a few generations of the Emancipation Proclamation, the social and political environment of the South became inhospitable for African Americans. In the three years known as the Great Migration, 1916 to 1919, over half a million African Americans fled the South seeking higher wages and a less hostile environment. During the great Depression in the 1920s, when sharecroppers were turned away from their farms and the Ku Klux Klan was on the rise as a home grown terrorist organization, more than a million African Americans left the South in an attempt to escape the rigid race-based social hierarchy, poverty, lack of educational opportunities and racial violence.

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