Literature Review

Employer-sponsored digital health platforms for mental wellness—A good investmentJAMA Network Open; Molly Candon, PhD; Rebecca E. Stewart, PhD; 2/25The authors evaluate an employer-sponsored digital health platform (Spring Health; Spring Care Inc) that screens employees for mental health conditions and, when warranted, connects them to treatment. Hawrilenko et al found a reduction in health care spending among digital health platform users compared with a matched comparison group. These findings contribute to a broader literature that considers the economic value of employer-sponsored interventions aimed at mental wellness ... There are broader implications of the study by Hawrilenko et al, because employer-sponsored digital health platforms are among the quickest and easiest pathways to grant a majority of US individuals accessible mental health care. 

MedPAC recommends Congress tie physician pay to inflation for 2026 Healthcare Dive; by Susanna Vogel; 3/17/25 Dive Brief:

Where are all the nurses? Data show that some states have a far higher number of nurses per capita than othersMedscape; by Jodi Helmer; 3/7/25 During their 12-hour shifts, registered nurses (RNs) in Arizona and Arkansas perform many of the same tasks as RNs in Wisconsin and Wyoming: Assessing patients, monitoring vital signs, administering medications, and charting records to provide the best patient care. The work might be similar, but there are vast differences in the number of RNs in each state. ...  Even states with the largest number of nurses per capita are not immune to the nursing shortage. The National Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be 195,400 job openings for RNs from 2021 to 2031.  ....

Malpractice lawsuits are rising — here’s how physicians can protect themselves Becker's ASC Review; by Patsy Newitt; 3/11/25 Medical malpractice insurance is essential for protecting physicians from financial and legal risks, particularly amid the rise in malpractice lawsuits, according to a March 5 article on Physicians Thrive’s website.  In 2023, malpractice verdicts hit a record high. There were 57 medical malpractice verdicts of $10 million or more, with more than half of those verdicts hitting $25 million.  Here are nine things to know from the Physician’s Thrive article. 

Concerning new data on female physician suicide Medscape Medical News; by Pauline Anderson; 2/28/25 Suicide rates for female physicians in the United States between 2017-2021 were 47% higher than for women in the general population, results of a retrospective cohort study showed. Unlike their female counterparts, male physicians had a lower rate for suicide relative to the general male population, investigators found. “The results indicate we need added multimodal and comprehensive suicide prevention specific for physicians,” lead study author Hirsh Makhija, MS, postgraduate researcher, Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, told Medscape Medical News. ... The findings were published online on February 26 in JAMA Psychiatry. 

VNA Hospice NWI celebrates staff, volunteers and community at annual dinner banquet NWI.Life; by Garrett Spoor; 3/4/25 For more than half a century, VNA Hospice NWI has been assisting seniors in Northwest Indiana with hospice care and the Meals on Wheels program. The organization hosted its Annual Dinner and Awards banquet on Monday, March 3, ... “The big purpose of the annual dinner is to thank all the people who made last year possible,” [Maria Galka, director of development] said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to show our appreciation for the staff, volunteers and our supporters. We present our annual report from the past fiscal year and look forward to what's coming in the new year.” ... VNA Hospice NWI was presented with a check for $32,798 from Don Quijote Restaurante to support VNA Meals on Wheels. The Legion Riders Post #94 provided a check for $12,500 for the VNA Hospice NWI. The dinner presented plenty of awards and scholarships to recognize some of the attendees ...Editor's note: What appreciation events and awards/recognitions do your organization regularly provide for your employes, volunteers, and community? Click on this article's title to explore the scope of this organization's highly valued Annual Dinner and Awards. When you have events such as these, remember to take provide "take-out" food for your employees who are duty elsewhere, like your on-call office and hospice inpatient care.

Relaxing licensing, training requirements during pandemic didn’t improve nursing home staffing: study McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Zee Johnson; 2/24/25 A new study of more than 15,000 nursing homes found no link between relaxed certified nurse aide training and licensing protocols during the pandemic and improved staffing levels. During COVID-19, 19 states loosened their training requirements (the “treatment” group), and 31 states did not (“control” group). However, both recorded nearly the same CNA hours per resident per day, according to the study by researchers at the University of Iowa. ... During the pandemic, direct caregivers were at extreme risk for contracting the deadly virus, which killed more than 200,000 nursing home residents and workers. But more often than not, they were left without basic benefits such as paid sick leave, Mehboob said. 

Why being trustworthy is a leadership hack that drives success Inc.; by Yufie Ren; 2/20/25 Leaders who cultivate trust can significantly reduce employee churn and improve organizational performance. ... In an era of rapid change, when teams look to leaders for stability and direction, trust is the invisible currency that fuels organizational success. ... Fortunately for managers – and workers – there’s a lot of research into how to be a more trustworthy leader. Here are a few insights:

Who cares for the caregivers? The push for laws to protect nurses’ mental health Medscape; by Jodi Helmer; 2/5/25 ... More than 67% of nurses reported feeling depressed or anxious, and two thirds said they were not receiving mental health support. Nurses cite lack of time and financial resources among the reasons for not seeking treatment, but fears about losing their jobs and the impact on their nursing licenses were also top issues. ... Registered nurses (RN) and advanced practice RN (APRNs) can be required to answer invasive questions about their mental health as part of their state licensure and advanced credentialing applications. The questions can be stigmatizing and could require nurses to submit letters from their healthcare providers addressing their mental health status. ... There is a movement to urge licensing and credentialing organizations to remove invasive and stigmatizing mental health questions from their applications. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing is working on national recommendations ...

Proposed framework for setting practical and ethical boundaries in medicineJAMA Internal Medicine; Sarah C. Hull, MD, MBE; Nancy R. Angoff, MD, MPH, MEd; 2/25At a national conference session addressing challenges for women in cardiology, one of us (S.C.H.) was struck by a junior attending physician’s account of her struggle to establish boundaries, expressing her desire to be helpful and collaborative as well as her reticence to decline requests lest she appear unkind. Reflecting on my own experience, I realized that women are often socialized to avoid saying no for fear of disappointing others or appearing selfish, but this socialization has not served us well. Indeed, this is a common refrain we have heard from young women entering the medical profession. Our anecdotal experience matches data suggesting that, compared with men, women are more likely to be asked and less likely to decline low-promotability task requests.

Partnership grows to help more clinicians of color find community in Vermont Vermont Business Magazine - Vermont Biz (VB), South Burlington, VT; by Tim, The University of Vermont Medical Center; 2/18/25 A growing partnership between University of Vermont Medical Center and the Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC) aims to help people of color adjust to life in Vermont and build the personal and professional relationships community leaders say are crucial to both individual wellbeing and keeping residency students in the state after they complete their clinical training. “During my 20 plus years here, I have heard from so many black and brown people about how difficult it can be to adjust to life in Vermont – and this goes for medical residents too,” said Tino Rutanhira, co-founder and co-executive director of VT PoC. "... Without support, many of these professionals decide to leave Vermont at a time when our state desperately needs young, skilled and diverse people to help it grow.” Editor's note: Parteners listed include The University of Vermont Health Network - Home Health & Hospice.

The hidden curriculum in medical school: What they don’t teach you Medscape; by Roni Robbins; 2/14/25... For Krastein and other medical students, there’s a hidden curriculum in medical school: Unwritten, informal lessons, and values learned outside of formal academic settings that shape the culture of medicine, influence behavior, and how to approach patient care and professional relationships. ... These lessons may unfold in informal moments, conversations during rounds or with patients, observing faculty handling difficult cases, or seeing how peers and mentors navigate challenges. [Identified themes include the following:]