Becker's Hospital Review

51 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY Surgeon defends Zoom hearing from OR, says patient safety was not jeopardized By Erica Carbajal A plastic surgeon in Northern Cali- fornia who appeared for a virtual court hearing from the operating room while another surgeon was performing a faceli in the background said the situa- tion was misunderstood, local NBC affiliate KCRA reported March 8. Gary Link, Sacramento Superior Court com- missioner, declined to proceed with a traffic court hearing Feb. 25 and said it would have to be rescheduled when Scott Green, MD, logged on to the Zoom meeting from the OR. Dr. Green, dressed in surgical gear, insisted he was ready to proceed as another surgeon was working on the patient. e Medical Board of California said it was investigating the incident. "is was our last case," Dr. Green told KCRA in his first interview aer the hearing video went viral. "We were about halfway through it, through all the critical parts," adding that it's not unusual to take a phone call from the OR. "To me, taking a call in the OR is something that occurs all the time — not a Zoom call to traffic court because I've never been to traffic court." Dr. Green said he handed the case off to a surgeon he was training who had five years of experience. Jeffrey Segal, MD, a former neurosurgeon and Dr. Green's attorney, said the situation is a "giant misunderstanding picked up by the internet" and clarified there were no patient safety issues. "We've already sent a preemptive statement ex- plaining there was no patient safety issue," Dr. Segal told the news outlet. "ere was no confi- dentiality problem. I fully expect and anticipate the board will not have a problem with this." Several surgeons who spoke to KCRA said taking phone calls or leaving the OR is nor- mal when other surgeons are present. "When you've got two fully qualified, fully trained plastic surgeons in the room, one could actually leave and go have a sandwich if he wanted to," said Troy Andreasen, MD, a plastic surgeon who trained with Dr. Green. A spokesperson for the state's medical board told the news outlet the board was reviewing the incident but did not address whether a formal investigation had been launched. n Surgeons seen as better communicators when wearing clear masks, study finds By Mackenzie Bean P atients were more likely to report good communica- tion with surgeons who wore clear masks instead of standard cloth medical masks in a study published March 11 in JAMA Surgery. Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill asked 15 surgeons to wear either clear or covered masks during clinic visits with new patients. Researchers then interviewed 200 patients, half of whom saw surgeons with clear masks and half who saw surgeons in traditional masks. Both groups rated surgeons similar for their ability to listen, answer questions and show respect. Physicians who wore clear masks received higher marks from patients on providing clear explanations, demonstrat- ing empathy and building trust. While patients favored the clear masks over cloth ones, 53 per- cent of surgeons said they were unlikely to choose a clear mask. "I think really, this is about realizing that when we wear a mask, which is important from a safety standpoint, it does affect our communication with patients," Muneera Kapadia, MD, a col- orectal surgeon at UNC and a study author, told the Los Ange- les Times. "I think we've identified an issue; I don't know that we've completely identified the solution." n CDC: Most people return for second COVID-19 vaccine dose By Maia Anderson M ost people who received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine from either Pfizer or Mod- erna have gotten their second dose on time, according to research published by the CDC March 15, The Hill reported. During the first two months of the U.S. vaccination campaign, 95 percent of people completed their two- dose vaccinations within the FDA-recommended time period, the CDC said. But the agency noted that most people prioritized for the vaccine at that time were healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents, who likely had better access to their second doses because they're more likely to have been vaccinated at work or their residence, The Hill reported. "As priority groups broaden, adherence to the recom- mended dosing interval might decrease," the CDC said. The FDA authorized Pfizer's vaccine to be given in two doses 21 days apart and Moderna's vaccine to be given in two doses 28 days apart. But the CDC has said there can be up to 42 days between doses in emergency situations. The CDC recommended that public health officials work to understand the causes of missed second doses, The Hill reported. n

• Cover