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20 HEALTHCARE NEWS 15% of job vacancies are due to long COVID-19, report finds: 6 things to know By Marissa Plescia A s the U.S. deals with a major labor shortage, a Jan. 11 Brookings report estimates that about 15 percent of unfilled jobs could be the result of people struggling with long COVID-19. Six more things to know: 1. ere are about 10.6 million vacant jobs in the U.S., according to a Jan. 4 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists said this could be due to factors like fewer employees agreeing to work for low pay, poor conditions or a lack of childcare access, but long COVID-19 is rarely mentioned, accord- ing to the report. 2. Several studies say that between 27 and 33 percent of COVID-19 patients continue to feel symptoms months aer being infected. is means that more than one in seven — or 31 million — working-age Americans could still be experiencing, or have experienced at one point, lingering COVID-19 symptoms. 3. e analysis assumes that 31 million Americans with long COVID-19 had symptoms for an average of three months, meaning 4.5 million could have been sick at any point over the last 20 months. 4. Studies by the e Lancet and Trades Union Congress found that 23 percent and 28 percent, respectively, of long COVID-19 patients were not working at the time of the study. is means there may have been about 1.1 million Americans out of work because of long COVID-19 at any point, according to Brookings. 5. e Lancet study also found that 46 percent of long COVID-19 patients, or another 2.1 million workers, have worked fewer hours. 6. Because these numbers are estimates, the study said more research and data is needed to understand the effects of long COVID-19 on labor shortages, and the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics should incor- porate long COVID-19 questions into their reports. n Best-paying healthcare jobs — anesthesiologist is No. 1 By Patsy Newitt P hysician was named the sixth best-paying healthcare job, according to a U.S. News & World Report list released Jan. 11. U.S. News used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify jobs with the greatest hiring demand. Jobs were then scored using seven measures: 10-year growth volume, 10-year growth percentage, median salary, employment rate, future job prospects, stress level and work-life balance. Here are the top 10 best-paying healthcare jobs, followed by average annual salary: 1. Anesthesiologist: $208,000 2. Surgeon: $208,000 3. Obstetrician and gynecologist: $208,000 4. Orthodontists: $208,000 5. Oral and maxillofacial surgeon: $208,000 6. Physician: $208,000 7. Psychiatrist: $208,000 8. Prosthodontist: $208,000 9. Nurse anesthetist: $183,589 10. Pediatrician: $177,130 n Viewpoint: 3 ways digital health keeps patients safe By Naomi Diaz W ith the rise of digital health applications, physicians can use health information tech- nology to keep patients safe, Yasir Khan, MD, senior physician executive of Cerner Middle East and Africa, wrote in Cerner's blog Jan. 13. Dr. Khan wrote that when used efficiently, health information technology can address vital parts of patient safety concerns, including: 1. Giving proper diagnosis With access to digital health storage, physicians can have their patients' medical history close at hand, giving them better insight on how to diagnose and care for their patients. 2. Patient risk EHRs can compile data and turn it into predictive models that can assess a patient's risks. This can help improve patient health outcomes and prevent future health problems, Dr. Khan wrote. 3. Assuring compliance HIT tools can help digitize approved workflows and care pathways, which can ensure hospitals are provid- ing care that is compliant with safety guidelines. n