Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Dec 2017
Critical Airway Team: A Retrospective Study of an Airway Response System in a Pediatric Hospital.
Objective Study the performance of a pediatric critical airway response team. Study Design Case series with chart review. Setting Freestanding academic children's hospital. ⋯ Direct laryngoscopy, tracheal intubation, and bronchoscopic procedures were performed frequently; surgical airway rescue was rare. Most patients had existing risk factors for difficult intubation. Given our rate of serious morbidity and mortality, primary prevention of critical airway events will be a focus of future efforts.
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Dec 2017
Polysomnography in Pediatric Otolaryngology: If Not Obstructive Sleep Apnea, What Is It?
Objective To determine common polysomnographic (PSG) diagnoses for children referred by otolaryngologists. Study Design Retrospective case series with chart review. Setting Single tertiary pediatric hospital (2010-2015). ⋯ PLMS were seen in 8.9% of children ≥24 months and in no children <12 months. Conclusion While OSA and snoring were the most common diagnoses reported, PLMS, alveolar hypoventilation, and CSA occurred in 7.4%, 6.8%, and 5.4%, respectively. These findings indicate that additional diagnoses other than OSA should be considered for children seen in an otolaryngology clinic setting who undergo PSG for sleep disturbances.
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Dec 2017
Multicenter StudyEquity in Medicaid Reimbursement for Otolaryngologists.
Objective To study state Medicaid reimbursement rates for inpatient and outpatient otolaryngology services and to compare with federal Medicare benchmarks. Study Design State and federal database query. Setting Not applicable. ⋯ Shortfalls and excesses were not consistent among procedures or states. Conclusions The variation in Medicaid payment models reflects marked differences in the value of the same work provided by otolaryngologists-in many cases, far less than federal benchmarks. These results question the fairness of the Medicaid reimbursement scheme in otolaryngology, with potential serious implications on access to care for this underserved patient population.