Becker's ASC Review

44 HEALTHCARE NEWS 14 highest-paid healthcare jobs in 2021 By Morgan Haefner F ourteen of the 25 highest-paying jobs in 2021 are in health- care, according to U.S. News & World Report's Best Job rank- ings released Jan. 12. U.S. News identified jobs with the largest projected number and percentage of openings from 2019-29 using data from the U.S. Bu- reau of Labor Statistics. Researchers then assessed each job's salary figures to compile a list of the highest-paying jobs this year. e 14 healthcare jobs that made the list, ranked by median salary: • Anesthesiologist — $208,000 • Surgeon — $208,000 • Oral and maxillofacial surgeon — $208,000 • Obstetrician and gynecologist — $208,000 • Orthodontist — $208,000 • Prosthodontist — $208,000 • Psychiatrist — $208,000 • Physician — $206,500 • Pediatrician — $175,310 • Nurse anesthetist — $174,790 • Dentist — $155,600 • Pharmacist — $128,090 • Podiatrist — $126,240 • Optometrist — $115,250 n NJ hospital CEO: Supply issues hampering vaccine rollout By Morgan Haefner M ichael Maron, the CEO of Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, N.J., told CNBC Jan. 19 that an inconsistent supply of COVID-19 vac- cines is challenging the hospital's vaccine rollout. Mr. Maron said on CNBC's "Power Lunch" that COVID-19 vaccines are not being distributed with regularity. "One week we'll have Pfizer, the next week we'll have Moderna. We never quite know how much of that is coming, whether it's 1,000 doses ... or 2,000 or more," he said. Vaccine supply issues are affecting healthcare provid- ers throughout the nation. A health system CEO in Massachusetts called for a quicker COVID-19 vaccine rollout and revealed that his organization had to stop vaccinating employees because it depleted its sup- ply of shots. News reports have also uncovered that a stockpile of second COVID-19 vaccine doses waiting to be shipped didn't exist, despite reports of a stockpile and HHS Secretary Alex Azar announcing earlier this week that the government would start distributing all reserved doses of the vaccine. So far, Holy Name Medical Center has administered about 5,000 vaccine doses, Mr. Maron told CNBC. However, the hospital has the capacity to give 3,000 doses per day. On Jan. 18, 570 local residents got vaccinated at the hospital, but the site was closed the following day due to lack of available vaccines. n What Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on her first day as CDC director By Kelly Gooch R ochelle Walensky, MD, said on her first day as the new CDC director that she is proud to join the agency, and also recognizes the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Walensky began her position Jan. 20 after being selected by President Joe Biden in December. She previ- ously served as the chief of infectious diseases at Massa- chusetts General Hospital in Boston. "The toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on America is truly heartbreaking — for the loss of our loved ones and our beloved ways of life," Dr. Walensky, who was also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in a statement. "At Massachusetts General Hospital, I saw firsthand the many difficulties this pandemic brings to our front-line workers and first responders, hospitals and public health systems, communities and loved ones." She said "better, healthier days lie ahead," but that requires rapid acceleration of COVID-19 testing, surveil- lance and vaccination. She said the U.S. "must also confront the longstanding public health challenges of social and racial injustice and inequity that have demanded action for far too long. And we must make up for potentially lost ground in areas like suicide, substance use disorder and overdose, chronic diseases, and global health initiatives." Moving forward, Dr. Walensky said Anne Schuchat, MD, the agency's principal deputy director, "will begin lead- ing a comprehensive review of all existing guidance related to COVID-19." This guidance will be updated as needed. n

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