Perceptions of Electronic Health Records Within Otolaryngology Residents Compared to Practicing Otolaryngologists.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the perceived impact of electronic health records (EHR) on otolaryngology residents with regard to education, patient care, and workflow, and then compared the trends with those of practicing otolaryngologists. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was developed for each core study group: the otolaryngology resident group (ORG) and the practicing otolaryngologist group (POG). In total, 536 surveys were submitted: 33 from the ORG survey and 510 from the POG survey. Response rates were 51.5% and 21.3%, respectively. RESULTS: Within the two study groups, ORG reported a predominately neutral response relating to the impact of EHR on experience compared with the POG, which reported far more negative responses. The most negative reported change in the ORG related to feeling more like a passive observer and scribe in terms of how EHR negatively impacted the role of resident. Within the POG group, the majority of negative responses were recorded on the impact of EHR on practice efficiency, practice overhead, and number of employees required to maintain practice function. CONCLUSION: With otolaryngologists making up 1.1% of the U.S. physician workforce in 2015, it is likely that software programing of EHR underrepresents the workflow needs of otolaryngologists at this time. Future studies investigating the impact of EHR on otolaryngology patient care and resident education are needed in the future. Laryngoscope, 128:2726-2731, 2018.

Contemporary analysis of practicing otolaryngologists.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To investigate contemporary issues facing practicing otolaryngologists including workforce dynamics, ancillary service modeling, otolaryngic allergy integration, ambulatory surgery center utilization, and relevant certificate of need legislation. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey analysis of academic and private practicing otolaryngologists in North and South Carolina in 2016. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was e-mailed to 510 practicing otolaryngologists in North and South Carolina. RESULTS: A 21.3% survey response rate was achieved. Otolaryngology workforce was defined by horizontal aggregation of otolaryngologists into larger group models, with fewer solo practitioners being replaced by younger otolaryngologists or employing otolaryngology extenders. Excluding academic practice, few otolaryngologists have chosen direct hospital employment as a career option, although otolaryngologists with fewer years of practice are pursuing that option with greater frequency. Ancillary services showed audiology and hearing aid services being the most common, followed by otolaryngic allergy, point-of-service computed tomography, and ultrasound. Although otolaryngologists tend to avoid vertical integration, ambulatory surgery center (ASC) ownership trends favor a joint venture model with a hospital system partner. Most otolaryngologists favor changes to certificate of need legislation to improve patient access to these lower-cost facilities, regardless of whether they currently utilize or have access to an ASC. CONCLUSIONS: Otolaryngology is uniquely positioned to adapt and respond to current paradigm shifts within ambulatory medicine. Further analysis is needed to prepare current and future otolaryngologists for the demands and opportunities these challenges pose as patient-centered care models and consumer dynamics shape future patient expectations and utilization of healthcare. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5. Laryngoscope, 2490-2499, 2018.

Use of intradermal dilutional testing and skin prick testing: clinical relevance and cost efficiency.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The objective was to determine the agreement of the positive results from a multiple skin prick test (SPT) device with the ability to determine a definable endpoint through intradermal dilutional testing (IDT) to compare semiquantitatively the degree of positivity of SPT results with quantitative results from IDT and to analyze the cost of immunotherapy based on SPT compared with IDT guided by SPT. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of clinical data (random accrual). METHODS: One hundred thirty-four patients underwent allergy screening using a multiple SPT device. Antigens testing positive by skin prick device were tested using IDT on a separate day. Antigens testing negative by SPT were not evaluated by IDT. Regional allergy testing practice patterns were determined, and a cost analysis using Medicare rates was performed RESULTS: There was good agreement between an antigen testing positive by SPT and the determination of a definable endpoint (93.33%, n = 1,334 antigens). The degree of positivity from the SPT correlated poorly with the final endpoint concentration (r = 0.40, P < .0001). Blended testing techniques were similar in cost when compared with several commonly used allergy testing protocols. CONCLUSIONS: Antigens which show reactivity to a multiple SPT device usually have a treatable endpoint that is independent of the degree of positivity of the SPT result. IDT is an important step in the determination of the strongest starting dose of immunotherapy that may be safely administered. Initiating immunotherapy in this manner may potentially create significant health care savings by shortening the time required for a patient to reach their individual maximally tolerated dose. The use of a relatively large screening panel is cost effective and does not increase the average number of antigens treated by immunotherapy. Blended allergy testing techniques that include IDT in their protocol are comparable in cost with commonly used allergy testing protocols.