Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/984530
21 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Burnout among orthopedic surgeons remains high: 5 things to know By Mackenzie Garrity A n in-depth study of emotional burnout among medical spe- cialties, published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, found orthopedic surgery is one of the specialties with the highest burnout rate. Here are five things to know. 1. The study surveyed physician burnout, characterized by loss of enthusiasm for work, feeling cynicism and a low sense of personal accomplishment. 2. A previous 2012 study showed 45.8 percent of physicians were burned out. Researchers predict this rate has significantly increased. 3. Burnout rates also correlated with medical education. Across spe- cialties, between 41 percent and 74 percent of residents reported feeling burned out. 4. Study authors recommend orthopedic surgery departments and programs develop personalized strategies to combat the burnout rate. 5. The authors said, "Wellness goes beyond merely the absence of the distress and includes being challenged, thriving and achieving success in various aspects of personal and professional life." n Jury finds anesthesiologist, North Star Anesthesia liable in man's death — Awards family $1M By Eric Oliver A Mahoning County Common Pleas Court jury awarded the family of a deceased man $1 million, after finding an anes- thesiologist and Cincinnati-based North Star Anesthesia at least partially responsible for his death, The Vindicator reports. Here's what you should know. 1. The jurors ruled the actions of the anesthesiol- ogist and North Star at least partially contributed to the man's death. 2. The man underwent hip surgery. Two days af- ter the surgery, the anesthesiologist allegedly failed to maintain his airway properly, which led to his eventual death. 3. The jury listened to five days of testimony be- fore deliberating for 4.5 hours. 4. The surviving members of the man's estate were "pleased" with the verdict. n VA fails to complete nationwide license review after hiring neurosurgeon with revoked license, malpractice allegations — 5 insights By Shayna Korol U .S. Senators Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, crit- icized the Department of Veterans Affairs for failing to complete their national review of all VA healthcare providers' licens- es by the February 2018 deadline. Here are five things to know. 1. e review is intended to ensure that no physicians had been hired illegally by the VA. Sens. Ernst and Grassley made the complaint aer a December 2017 USA TODAY investi- gation found the Iowa City VA hospital hired a neurosurgeon whose Wyoming medical license was revoked over malpractice allegations. 2. Aer the investigation, neurosurgeon John Henry Schneider, MD, resigned, USA Today reports. In December, VA leaders ac- knowledged to Sens. Grassley and Ernst that Dr. Schneider was hired improperly, and they resolved to review all VA physician records by the end of February. 3. e USA Today investigation detailed that federal law bars the VA from hiring physi- cians whose licenses have been revoked by state boards even if they still hold active li- censes in other states. Dr. Schneider still had a license in Montana even though his Wyo- ming license was revoked. e investigation uncovered new allegations of malpractice by Dr. Schneider aer he started working at the Iowa City VA hospital in 2017. In one instance, Dr. Schneider performed four brain surgeries over the course of four weeks on one 65-year-old veteran who died in August. 4. e VA told the senators that it did not identify a reason to notify patients or their families if they were treated by physicians who should not have been hired because of discipline by state medical boards. 5. In a January response to the senators, the VA wrote, "at this time, VA has not made a determination on whether or not to publicize the results of the national licensure review." Senator Grassley claimed that the VA's hiring practice directly impacted the lives of veter- ans and the VA has an obligation to share the findings of their internal review. n