Health Care Market: Trend - COVID-19

The article considers the trends in the development of the medical services market in the Krasnodar Territory in the conditions of the spread of coronavirus infection, analyzes their impact on the activities of primary medical organizations, presents the development directions of the medical services market in the region in the conditions of the spread of COVID-19. Based on the results of the sociological study, trends in the development of the medical services market in the region in the context of the spread of coronavirus infection were identified: the introduction of new methods for diagnosing coronavirus infection (CT, tests), repurposing, hiring (reducing) medical personnel, refurbishing (refurbishing) a medical organization, treating patients with COVID-19, changing the financial situation of primary medical organizations, expanding the list of medical services. The directions of development of the market of medical services of the region in conditions of COVID-19 distribution are proposed. The purpose of the study is to determine the direction of development of the medical services market in the Krasnodar Territory in the conditions of the spread of COVID-19. The achievement of the goal of the study predetermined the setting and consistent solution of the following interrelated tasks:  according to the results of a sociological study, highlight trends in the development of the medical services market in the Krasnodar Territory in the conditions of the spread of coronavirus infection;  analyze the impact of trends on primary health care organizations in the region;  to offer directions for the development of the medical services market of the Krasnodar Territory in the conditions of the spread of coronavirus infection. When compiling a review of literary sources on the topic of the study, the method of content analysis was applied. Analytical results of the assessment of trends in the development of the medical services market in the Krasnodar Territory in the context of the spread of COVID-19 were obtained using statistical and sociological methods of research - a survey and questionnaire of representatives of medical organizations of the primary level of the region. The results obtained during the study will be useful in the development of strategic documents and initiatives for the development of the medical services market in the Krasnodar Territory in the conditions of COVID-19 distribution.

Applications of Medical Devices in Healthcare Industry

In the health-care industry, use of medical devices is becoming increasingly significant. There are currently over 8000 generic medical device categories, with some containing pharmaceutical active ingredients. The potential growth of the medical devices in the healthcare industry helps the healthcare system stupendously in diagnosis, treatment, pathogen tracking, patient monitoring and many more aspects of serving the human race in healthcare terms. Medical device utilization is becoming an increasingly crucial part of a healthcare professional's job. Personal users of medical devices must be taught and educated regularly to guarantee that they are proficient in the usage of equipment. Medical gadgets are becoming increasingly important in the health-care market. Keeping up with regulatory regulations and incorporating them into the process is one of the most difficult elements of creating and manufacturing medical devices. Tighter regulatory systems are needed to ensure that products entering the market are both safe and effective. Keeping up with regulatory regulations and incorporating them into the process is one of the most difficult elements of creating and manufacturing medical devices. A company that fails to succeed in this endeavour could lose thousands of dollars due to the amount of time it takes to do it. KEY WORDS Medical Device, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Design and Development, Diagnosis, Disease Management.

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Will Change Workplaces, Healthcare Markets and Healthy Living: An Overview and Assessment

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted most aspects of our lives: how we work, how we socialize, how we provide health care, and how we take care of our most vulnerable members of society. In this perspectives article, we provide a multidisciplinary overview of existing research covering these fields. Moreover, we enrich this research overview with news reporting and insights from a panel of expert practitioners affiliated with the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures. We sketch existing evidence, focusing on how the pandemic has transformed our lives since March 2020. Then, for each of the fields covered by this article, we propose optimistic perspectives on what healthy living could look like in the future, given the current challenges and opportunities. In particular, we discuss the needed transformations of our workplaces, the health care market, senior living, healthy eating, and personal wellness.

The Opioid Epidemic Was Not Caused by Economic Distress but by Factors That Could Be More Rapidly Addressed

Without the opioid epidemic, American life expectancy would not have declined prior to 2020. The epidemic was sparked by the development and marketing of a new generation of prescription opioids, and the behavior of opioid providers is still helping to drive it. Little relationship exists between the opioid crisis and contemporaneous measures of labor market opportunity: cohorts and areas that experienced poor labor market conditions do show lagged increases in opioid mortality, but the effect is modest relative to the scale of the epidemic. We argue that specific policies and features of the U.S. health care market, especially liberal prescribing of opioids, led to the current crisis. It will not be possible to quickly reverse depressed economic conditions, but it is possible to implement policies that would reduce the number of new opioid addicts and save the lives of many who are already addicted.

Private health care market shaping and changes in inequities in childhood diarrhoea treatment coverage: evidence from the analysis of baseline and endline surveys of an ORS and zinc scale-up program in Nigeria

Background Nearly 90,000 under-five children die from diarrhoea annually in Nigeria. Over 90% of the deaths can be prevented with oral rehydration salt (ORS) and zinc treatment but coverage nationally was less than 34% for ORS and 3% for zinc with wide inequities. A program was implemented in eight states to address critical barriers to the optimal functioning of the health care market to deliver these treatments. In this study, we examine changes in the inequities of coverage of ORS and zinc over the intervention period. Methods Baseline and endline household surveys were used to measure ORS and zinc coverage and household assets. Principal component analysis was used to construct wealth quintiles. We used multi-level logistic regression models to estimate predictive coverage of ORS and zinc by wealth and urbanicity at each survey period. Simple measures of disparity and concentration indices and curves were used to evaluate changes in ORS and zinc coverage inequities. Results At baseline, 28% (95% CI: 22–35%) of children with diarrhoea from the poorest wealth quintile received ORS compared to 50% (95% CI: 52–58%) from the richest. This inequality reduced at endline as ORS coverage increased by 21%-points (P < 0.001) for the poorest and 17%-points (P < 0.001) for the richest. Zinc coverage increased significantly for both quintiles at endline from an equally low baseline coverage level. Consistent with the findings of the pairwise comparison of the poorest and the richest, the summary measure of disparity across all wealth quintiles showed a narrowing of inequities from baseline to endline. Concentration curves shifted towards equality for both treatments, concentration indices declined from 0.1012 to 0.0480 for ORS and from 0.2640 to 0.0567 for zinc. Disparities in ORS and zinc coverage between rural and urban at both time points was insignificant except that the use of zinc in the rural at endline was significantly higher at 38% (95%CI: 35–41%) compared to 29% (95%CI, 25–33%) in the urban. Conclusion The results show a pro-rural improvement in coverage and a reduction in coverage inequities across wealth quintiles from baseline to endline. This gives an indication that initiatives focused on shaping healthcare market systems may be effective in reducing health coverage gaps without detracting from equity as a health policy objective.

Assessing the Stress of Surgeons and Surgical Residents Using a Wearable Smart Device

Although surgeon is one of the most stressful professions, only few studies have attempted to evaluate surgeons’ stress using impractical methods. Meanwhile, many wearable devices have been introduced in the health-care market. This study aimed to assess surgeons’ stress using a wearable device. Data were collected from 13 participants from June to September 2019. We checked level of stress, heart rate (HR) using Vivosmart4 (Garmin, Schaffhausenm, Switzerland) at rest and perioperatively, and also checked their perioperative self-perceived stress using the short-form State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The perioperative stress level and HR significantly increased compared with resting state (stress level: 28.6 ± 18.2 at rest vs. 49.6 ± 25.5 before surgery vs. 55.1 ± 25.5 after surgery, p < 0.001; HR: 81.1 ± 6.2 at rest vs. 85.0 ± 11.5 before surgery vs. 85.0 ± 12.2 after surgery, p = 0.001). Scores on the short-form STAI significantly decreased after surgery (12.6 ± 4.9 before surgery vs. 11.7 ± 3.6 after surgery, p = 0.001). Stress level at rest was significantly higher among fellows and residents compared with professors (fellows: 40.7 ± 15.3 vs. residents: 29.9 ± 12.0 vs. professors: 13.2 ± 7.3, p < 0.001). We assessed surgeons’ stress using a smart device and demonstrated that surgery significantly increased stress. The level of stress was higher among fellows and residents compared with professors.

Do Medicare’s Facility Fees Incentivize Hospitals to Vertically Integrate with Oncologists?

Within the past decade, the U.S. health care market has undergone massive vertical integration, prompting economists to study the underlying causes and consequences of hospital-physician integration. This paper examines whether or not hospitals strategically choose to vertically integrate with clinical oncologists in order to capture facility fees, a commonly cited reason for increased consolidation in the health care market. To address this question, I match data on hospitals’ ownership of clinical oncologists with Medicare payment data disaggregated to the physician and specific service level. I leverage a 2014 policy change that drastically altered the payment structure of Medicare’s facility fees paid to hospitals for evaluation and management services—and yet, it did not alter the direct payments made to physicians. Contrary to popular belief, I find no evidence that the financial incentives of facility fees have an effect on the probability that a hospital and a clinical oncologist vertically integrate.