Journal of general internal medicine
-
Given the reduced immune response to vaccines in older populations, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations and its impact on breakthrough infection, hospital admission, and mortality in the elderly. ⋯ Our pooled results showed that SARS-CoV-2 vaccines administered to the elderly is effective in preventing prevent breakthrough infection, hospitalization, severity, and death. What's more, increasing number of vaccine doses is becoming increasingly effective.
-
Opioid-related promotional payments are associated with increased prescribing of the promoted drug, but little is known about whether physicians receiving payments influence peers to accept similar payments. ⋯ Our study demonstrates that physicians receiving opioid-related payments are more likely to cluster within physician networks.
-
Observational Study
U.S. Hospitals' Administrative Expenses Increased Sharply During COVID-19.
In response to the declining utilization and patient revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. hospital industry furloughed at least 1.4 million health care workers to contain their clinical-related expenses. However, it remains unclear how hospitals responded by adjusting their administrative expenses, which account for more than a quarter of U.S. hospitals' spending, a proportion substantially higher than that of other industrialized countries. Examining changes in hospitals' administrative expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic is important for understanding hospitals' cost-containment behaviors under operational shocks during a pandemic. ⋯ In 2020, administrative expenses grew much faster than clinical expenses, resulting in a larger share of hospital financial resources allocated to administrative activities. Higher administrative expenses might reflect hospitals' operational effort in response to the pandemic or inefficient cost management.