Gov. Brian Kemp said at this rate, he does not plan to increase coronavirus restrictions on Georgia or lock the state down again. | READ MORE
AMA releases 2021 CPT code set
AMA Wire
The first major overhaul in more than 25 years to the codes and guidelines for office and other outpatient evaluation and management services was included in today’s release of the 2021 Current Procedural Terminology code set published by the American Medical Association. |READ MORE
1-year-old Cobb County boy becomes Georgia’s youngest COVID fatality
Georgia Health News
A 1-year-old Cobb County boy has died from COVID-19, becoming the youngest person in Georgia to die of the disease. The Georgia Department of Public Health data said the boy had an existing health condition, a situation that can contribute to the severity of the illness.|READ MORE
Large antibody study offers hope for virus vaccine efforts
Associated Press
Antibodies that people make to fight the new coronavirus last for at least four months after diagnosis and do not fade quickly as some earlier reports suggested, scientists have found.|READ MORE
Steroids cut death rates among critically ill COVID-19 patients, major study finds
Reuters
The analysis –which pooled data from separate trials of low dose hydrocortisone, dexamethasone and methylprednisolone –found that steroids improve survival rates of COVID-19 patients sick enough to be in intensive care in hospital.|READ MORE
Health agencies’ credibility at risk after week of blunders
Associated Press
The credibility of two of the nation’s leading public health agencies was under fire this week after controversial decisions that outside experts said smacked of political pressure from President Donald Trump as he attempts to move past the devastating toll of the coronavirus ahead of the November election. |READ MORE
Community Health looks ahead to big financial hole to fill next year
Georgia Health News
Georgia’s main health care agency recently avoided major budget cuts that hit other departments, largely because the federal government increased its share of matching funds for state Medicaid programs.|READ MORE
Depression, anxiety spike amid outbreak and turbulent times
Associated Press
In the latest study to suggest an uptick, half of U.S. adults surveyed reported at least some signs of depression, such as hopelessness, feeling like a failure or getting little pleasure from doing things. That’s double the rate from a different survey two years ago, Boston University researchers said Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.|READ MORE
Rapid adoption of resilience strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic (by MAG Physician Resilience Task Force member Florence LeCraw, M.D)
SAGE journals
This paper describes how the Medical Association of Georgia is adapting and using “Diffusion of Innovation Science” techniques to formulate their guidelines and help Georgia’s medical facilities implement evidence-based practices during the pandemic.|READ MORE
4 ways to integrate equity into public health emergency response
AMA Wire
While health inequities have been well-documented in the U.S. for decades, they remain prevalent despite evidence of structural and racist impacts and continuous appeals for their elimination. |READ MORE
Georgia college leaders worry as COVID-19 cases rise before Labor Day
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
COVID-19 cases have surged on some of Georgia’s largest public campuses, impacting nearby communities and leaving school leaders worried about even more cases after the upcoming Labor Day holiday.|READ MORE
UGA becomes the latest college to take a big hit from COVID-19
Georgia Health News
The surge of COVID cases among college students has surfaced again, this time at the University of Georgia.|READ MORE
Donors support education abroad opportunities for KSU students (features MAG Treasurer Tom Emerson, M.D.)
KSU News
Christie and Tom Emerson, [M.D.] have long believed in the importance of giving back to their community. Now, the couple is helping students at Kennesaw State spread their wings. |READ MORE
Advertise with MAG: Please contact Tom Kornegay at 678.303.9260 or tkornegay@mag.org if you are interested in running an ad in the Georgia Pulse, which is a weekly compilation of media reports that are related to health care and the medical profession. It is sent to more than 6,000 physicians in Georgia.
Medical Association of Georgia
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