Pre-pandemic, hospitals' physician lounges were already desolate spaces. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with a growing to-do list have further encroached on physicians' ability to interact with colleagues, which can exacerbate burnout. Now, hospitals are investing in other efforts to reinvigorate connection among physicians. 

The trend toward consumerism in healthcare has been on the rise but accelerated during the pandemic. Expectations for excellent customer service and personalized care continue to climb.

St. Louis, Mo.-based SSM Health has partnered with SLUCare Physician Group, St. Louis University's academic medical practice. 

Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University Health System called in 20 physicians to Highland Park (Ill.) Hospital to treat victims of a mass shooting at a suburban Chicago  Fourth of July parade, CBS News reported.

Many clinicians may not want to acknowledge when they have negative feelings about a patient in their care, but such resentment or frustration is important to recognize and address, as studies show it can affect care quality, Joan Naidorf, DO, a Virginia-based emergency physician, wrote in a June 30 op-ed for The Washington Post.

Six overarching themes contributed to physician job stress and suicides, a study published June 29 in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior found.

Twenty-nine percent of physicians said they have friends who are also their patients, even though that is discouraged by the American Medical Association.

On June 24, the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, setting the stage for a patchwork of different abortion laws across U.S. states. Now, with abortion bans likely in a number of states, Bloomberg Law and USA Today took a deeper dive into how the rules could affect OB-GYN training.

In a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of two physicians who were convicted of obstructing the Controlled Substance Act after prescribing hundreds of thousands of opioids, CNN reported June 27. 

The American Medical Association and National Nurses United were among medical associations that strongly condemned the Supreme Court's June 24 strikedown of the constitutional right to abortion. 

Healthcare systems have started residency programs and partnerships to address workforce shortages.

An anonymous donation to Texas Christian University School of Medicine in Fort Worth will fund full tuition for the class of 2024. The funds will pay for the 2022-23 school year, the 60-person class' third year of tuition at TCU. 

When it comes to primary care, consumers are seeking maximum convenience. Hospitals and health systems are finding that membership-based primary care models can create a more convenient experience for patients and offer more flexibility to overburdened clinicians.

Thirty-six percent of physician assistants experienced decreased satisfaction with the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Medscape's "Physician Assistant Career Satisfaction Report 2022."

Kevin Simon, MD, a psychiatrist with Boston Children's Hospital, has been named the city's first-ever chief behavioral health officer.

Physician Andrea Merrill, MD, went viral June 12 after tweeting about her experience with an in-air medical emergency on Delta Airlines. 

Douglas Canning, MD, a pediatric urologist and chief of the division of urology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, died of severe injuries from a bicycle accident at 65 on May 30, the hospital informed Becker's. 

In a study involving 5,023 actions against the licenses of U.S. physicians, 76.3 percent were related to substance abuse, according to findings published June 3 in JAMA Health Forum.

The American Academy of Physician Assistants has officially changed its name to the American Academy of Physician Associates as part of a larger rebranding effort for the profession, but the association is not advising PAs to use the new term in a professional capacity yet. 

Healthcare access and substance/opioid abuse are among physicians' top five social issues in the country, according to a new Medscape report.