J Am Board Fam Med
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Despite changing federal regulations for providing telehealth services and provision of controlled substances during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is little guidance available for office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) programs integrated into primary care settings. ⋯ OBOTs require organized workflows to continue to provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine, in the face of relaxed federal regulations, has the opportunity to enhance addiction care, creating a more convenient as well as an equally effective mechanism for OBOTs to deliver care that should inform future policy.
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The United States spends billions of dollars each year preparing for medical emergencies. Noticeably absent from that budget is an effective process to protect the frontline defenders delivering primary care.
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In 2016, we launched our first Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) as a means of collaborating with our patients and families to improve care. Using an Internet-based remote meeting technology, we transitioned to a virtual platform in April. ⋯ Patient voice provides reliable and relevant information for practices through virtual PFAC meetings.
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On June 22, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled an aggregate data set on the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on its beneficiaries. The CMS brief is especially noteworthy for offering COVID-19-related racial and ethnic health disparity data on a national scale, thereby extending reports heretofore limited to states, cities, or health systems. The CMS COVID-19 brief exposes distressing racial and ethnic health disparities. It is the objective of this commentary to trace the origins of the CMS COVID-19 brief, discuss its salient findings, and consider its implications.
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Recent data demonstrated that socioeconomic, environmental, demographic, and health factors can contribute to vulnerability for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). The goal of this study was to assess association between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS CoV-2) infection and demographic and socioeconomic factors in patients from a large academic family medicine practice to support practice operations. ⋯ Our data provide insight into the association of COVID-19 with race/ethnic minority patients residing in highly socioeconomically deprived areas. These data could impact outreach and management of ambulatory COVID-19 in the future.