Becker's Hospital Review

84 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Americans Spent Nearly $800M in 2 Years on Illegal Fentanyl From China: 5 Things to Know By Brian Zimmerman U nited States residents purchased nearly $800 million worth of fentanyl pills from China over the internet in two years, according to a Senate investigations report re- leased Jan. 24. e 104-page bipartisan report produced by the Senate Home- land Security Committee is the result of a yearlong Senate in- vestigation. American officials have long identified China as the primary source of illicitly obtained fentanyl being dissemi- nated throughout the U.S., according to a report from e New York Times. Here are five things to know. 1. China is home to thousands of illegal pharmaceutical labs that produce synthetic drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil, a fentanyl derivative 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Online sell- ers exploit loopholes in the international mailing system, such as shipping the packages to foreign nations prior to shipping them to the U.S., to get the drugs in the country. e result is thousands of pounds of opioids entering the U.S. via the mail every year. 2. Commercial shippers like UPS and FedEx are required to provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection with information about the origin and contents of the packages prior to their ar- rival. However, customs officials do not receive information on all packages shipped through the United States Postal Service. e volume of shipments and the limited information made available from certain foreign postal services make identifying packages containing illicit drugs difficult. 3. While commercial sellers are required to provide data to cus- toms, drug traffickers still leverage these services to ship drugs into the U.S., according to the Times. 4. Senate investigators identified hundreds of websites openly advertising the sale of illegal drugs, according to testimony given Jan. 25 by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Senate Homeland Security Committee chairman. e investigators focused on six websites to better understand the process of purchasing fentanyl online. "ese online sellers were quick to respond, unafraid of getting caught, and ready to make a deal," Mr. Portman said. "ey of- fered discounts for bulk purchases and even tried to up-sell us to carfentanil. … Just from these six websites, we identified more than 500 payments to online sellers by more than 300 Americans totaling $230,000, most of which occurred over the last two years." 5. e sellers primarily relied on Bitcoin for these transactions. While the 300 American buyers came from 43 different states, they mostly resided in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. n West Virginia Hospital Postpones Elective Surgeries Over Particulate Matter on Sterile Trays By Alia Paavola C abell Huntington (W.Va.) Hospital suspended elective surgeries through Feb. 2 after staff members found a substance on multiple sterile trays, reported WOWK. The hospital elected to suspend non-emergency surgeries on Jan. 30 after a "granular substance" was found on a few sterile trays in the sterilizing department within the main op- erating room. Hospital officials told WOWK none of the trays in question were used for patient procedures. "We wish to assure all patients, physicians and staff that safe- ty and quality remain our top priorities," said Shawn Jordan, media relations manager at Cabell Huntington Hospital, ac- cording to the report. n US Physicians Supported 12.6M Jobs in 2015: 5 Findings By Kelly Gooch P hysicians are a significant economic driver for their communities, according to a new report released Jan. 8 by the American Medical Association. The report, titled "The National Economic Impact of Physi- cians," examines the economic contributions of 736,873 pa- tient care physicians nationwide. All physicians were practic- ing as of December 2015. Here are five findings at the national level. 1. Physicians generated $2.3 trillion in economic output (i.e., sales revenues) in 2015, with each physician, on average, generating $3.2 million in output, according to the report. 2. Physicians supported 12.6 million jobs in 2015, with each physician, on average, supporting 17.1 jobs. 3. Physicians contributed $1 trillion in total wages and bene- fits paid to workers in 2015, with each physician, on average, supporting $1.4 million in workers' wages and benefits, the AMA said. 4. Physicians supported $92.9 billion in state and local tax revenues in 2015, with each physician, on average, support- ing $126,129 in these revenues. 5. Overall, the study found physicians' national-level econom- ic output, supported jobs and contributed wages and bene- fits exceed that of professionals in higher education, nursing/ community care facilities, legal services and home health. n

• Cover