Becker's Spine Review

50 HEALTHCARE NEWS COVID-19 patients may not recover sense of taste, smell after other symptoms end By Anuja Vaidya T he CDC added loss of taste or smell to its list of COVID-19 symptoms at the end of April, and now early data from recovered patients is showing that many may not recover those senses aer other symp- toms of the disease disappear, according to e Wall Street Journal. According to preliminary data from cli- nicians, about a quarter of recovered COVID-19 patients say they regained their senses of taste and small within two weeks of other symptoms disappearing. But long- term data is needed to determine when those who did not report an improvement in two weeks recovered their ability to taste and smell. It could take months, and some physicians say they may never recover those senses, the Journal reports. is may put up more barriers to full recov- ery for COVID-19 patients, causing emotion- al distress and anxiety. Matt Newey, a 23-year-old man who recov- ered from COVID-19 in March, told the Journal that he has lost weight because eating has become a laborious process. "I've gone a day-and-a-half without eating anything," he said. "Because my stomach isn't communicating anymore. It's been like that for a while now." Mr. Newey also said that not being able to smell has heightened his anxiety because of fears he may not be able to smell a gas leak or smoke at home, putting him in danger. Pamela Dalton, PhD, a chemosensory sci- entist and member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, told the Jour- nal that losing the ability to taste or smell can trigger negative emotions since there is less serotonin flowing to the brain, which can contribute to well-being and happiness. "So, what they're feeling is not just psycholog- ical," she said, according to the Journal. n Tenet's net income more than triples in Q2 By Ayla Ellison T enet Healthcare's revenues declined year over year in the second quarter of 2020, but federal grants made available to help offset lost revenues and ex- penses tied to the COVID-19 pandemic helped push the Dallas-based company's net income higher. Tenet reported revenues of $3.6 billion in the second quar- ter of this year, down from $4.6 billion in the same period a year earlier. Revenues from the company's hospital opera- tions segment were down 19.3 percent year over year. The decline was attributed to lower patient volumes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenues from Tenet's ambu- latory care segment declined 29.8 percent year over year. The company said revenues from Conifer, its revenue cy- cle subsidiary decreased in the second quarter of this year due to the impact of volume declines of its clients and hos- pital divestitures by both Tenet and other clients. Conifer's adjusted EBITDA was down 29.1 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2020. After factoring in expenses and one-time costs, Tenet re- ported net income available to shareholders of $88 million in the second quarter of this year, compared to net income of $26 million in the same period a year earlier. The com- pany's net income in the second quarter of this year includ- ed $523 million in federal grants made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Tenet Executive Chair and CEO Ronald A. Rittenmeyer said the second quarter "was a challenge by any measure." He said CARES Act funds helped minimize financial damage from the pandemic as caregivers at its facilities continue to treat COVID-19 patients. "Today, we and our brave front-line caregivers continue to face an even larger surge of COVID-19 cases in several markets, but we have a much better sense of how to deal with these in a more effective manner," Mr. Rittenmeyer said in an earnings release. "While there is a greater neg- ative financial impact associated with COVID-19 cases, we believe the CARES Act provided reasonable, but not com- plete relief from the impact of the shutdown and will help with the remaining cases with which we are now engaged." Looking at results for the first half of 2020, Tenet reported net income of $181 million on revenues of $8.2 billion. The company reported net income of $14 million on revenues of $9.1 billion in the same period a year earlier. Other major for-profit hospital operators, including Nash- ville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare and King of Prussia, Pa.- based Universal Health Services, also posted higher net income in the second quarter of this year than in the same period a year earlier. n

• Cover