VIEWPOINTS
ASH Clinical News
Twitter Poll
The September issue of ASH Clinical News featured a conversation with hematologists about fertility preservation options in young patients with hematologic malignancies . A JAMA Network Open survey of nearly 7,000 patients of reproductive age who were diagnosed with cancer found that more than half did not receive counseling about the risk of infertility associated with their cancer treatments . We asked Twitter users to share how often they discuss this topic with their patients . The results were as follows :
Ebony Jade Hilton , MD
@ EbonyJHilton _ MD
Americans eat 800,000,000 pounds of bologna annually . — Moment of Silence — I don ’ t want to hear another “ we don ’ t know what ’ s in it .” # GetVaccinated
Victoria Forster , PhD
@ vickyyyf
When reviewing a scientific manuscript , be sure to spell check . “ I am somewhat dubious about the clams ” is not quite the same as “ I am somewhat dubious about the claims ” ... when the paper is definitely not about seafood .
Angela Weyand , MD
@ acweyand
Always : 36 % Most times : 28 % Sometimes : 32 % Never : 4 %
( 50 votes )
7 : Mom , I have one question before I go to bed . How does your body make blood ? Me : ( mouth agape ) 7 : Are you googling it ? Me : No sweet pea , my whole entire life has been in preparation for this very moment .
Maria “ Ken ” Figueroa , MD
@ KenFigueroaLab
When your lab manager knows you so well that he leaves this for you on your office door because you have a crazy week ahead !
Hospital Mergers and Acquisitions Are a Bad Deal for Patients . Why Aren ’ t They Being Stopped ?
“ During 2019 and 2020 , hospitals acquired an additional 3,200 medical practices and 18,600 physicians . By January 2021 , almost half of all U . S . physicians were employed by a hospital or health system .
Mergers and acquisitions rarely improve access to health care or its quality , and they don ’ t reduce prices . When hospitals buy provider practices , it leads to more unnecessary care and more expensive care , which increases overall spending . These transactions can negatively affect clinician morale as well , contributing to burnout and feeling unsupported .
The Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) and the U . S . Department of Justice have always had broad authority over mergers . However , the FTC ’ s reach is limited when it comes to nonprofits , which most hospitals are . If a merger goes through , the FTC has limited authority to ensure the new entity plays fairly .
At the state level , most of the antitrust power lies with the attorney general , who ultimately approves or challenges all mergers . Despite this authority , questionable mergers still go through .
Experts have been raising the alarm on health care consolidation for years . Proposed mergers must be assessed and approved based on evidence , not industry pressure . If nothing changes , the consequences will be felt for years to come .”
— Elsa Pearson , a senior policy analyst at Boston University School of Public Health , in STAT
Is Going Out in Public Unvaccinated as Bad as Driving Drunk ?
“ Both causes of severe bodily harm are largely preventable — COVID-19 through vaccination , and drunken driving by not driving after drinking alcohol . Both are individual decisions with societal consequences .
Vaccination reduces the risk of becoming infected by a factor of five and the risk of death by 11 . This is comparable to the risk of a crash when driving drunk , which is 14 times higher than for a sober person .
Some who argue that vaccination is solely a matter of individual choice would say that you can choose to protect yourself . If you ’ re vaccinated , why do you care if others around you aren ’ t ? But again , consider the analogy : Three out of every eight people killed are not the intoxicated driver , but their passengers or people in other vehicles . Similarly , with COVID-19 , the risk is borne not only by the person making the decision but also by others who cross their path .”
— Leana Wen , MD , public health professor at The George Washington University , and Sam Wang , PhD , professor of neuroscience at Princeton University in The Washington Post
Follow ASH and ASH Clinical News on : @ ASH _ Hematology , @ BloodJournal , @ BloodAdvances , and @ ASHClinicalNews
Facebook . com / AmericanSocietyofHematology
@ ASH _ Hematology
10 ASH Clinical News October 2021