Nurse practitioners and physician assistants voice their opinions of the Affordable Care Act, and TripAdvisor unveils the best beaches in the United States. These stories and others are offered in today’s post.
- A large number of nurse practitioners and physician assistants believe the Affordable Care Act should be modified or repealed, according to a survey conducted by The Clinical Advisor. More than half of respondents indicated their opinion of the law has worsened over time, and they report spending more time on clinical administrative tasks. Nearly half report earning less revenue per patient.
- Dreaming of blue skies and sandy beaches for a future locum tenens opportunity? You may find what you’re looking for amongst the winners of the best U.S. beaches from TripAdvisor’s Travel Choice Awards. The top selections span the country, from Florida and South Carolina to California and Hawaii. Massachusetts and Maine also made the final cut.
- Physicians may be overestimating their patients’ adherence to prescribed medications. Although past studies suggest nonadherence rates of up to 30 percent across medications for chronic conditions, more than a third of respondents recently surveyed believe the rate is less than 10 percent for their practice. Yet less than half said they include adherence counseling when prescribing a new treatment, as reported by the American Journal of Managed Care.
- Hospitals with bells and whistles do not necessarily elicit better patient reviews, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. As reported by Kaiser Health News, patients’ assessments of the quality of clinical care they received did not significantly vary whether they were treated at Johns Hopkins’ newer luxurious facility or at an older, less-lavish Hopkins building.
- A recent study suggests, for doctors, there may be no right way to deliver bad news. In a clinical trial that used videos in which actors portrayed physicians, patients preferred the doctors who offered an optimistic message and felt they had higher levels of compassion than those who delivered an unfavorable prognosis, as shared by Medscape.
Enjoy the weekend!
