The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised healthcare providers to watch for a type of yeast – Candida auris – which has been causing severe illness in hospitalized patients. What makes C. auris so threatening is that it is difficult to identify, and it does not respond to commonly used antifungal drugs. Limited data suggest that the risk factors for Candida … [Read more...]
Infection Prevention: Progress, Not Perfection
The trends look promising, but there’s room for improvement Each day, approximately one in 31 U.S. patients contracts at least one infection related to his or her hospital care, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That might not sound like great news. But it does signal progress. “Overall, there is a lot to be happy about,” says Keith Kaye, M.D., MPH, … [Read more...]
Windshield time
Vehicle cybersecurity The 5StarS consortium has released a consultation paper to seek feedback on a new assurance framework to assess the cybersecurity of vehicles. Feedback is sought from automotive manufacturers, government and insurers to ensure this revolutionary framework is readily adopted when finalized this summer by the Innovate UK funded consortium. With the rise … [Read more...]
Smart Selling
By Elizabeth Hilla It Takes More Than One Great Relationship To Ensure Customer Loyalty One of the great things about selling is the personal relationships you form. However, I’ve found that over-reliance on those terrific personal relationships can give me blind spots. I think to myself “I don’t need to contact XYZ company today – I just talked to Joe last month and he … [Read more...]
Publisher’s Letter
The Good Life Well gang, it’s June. Where did half the year go? I don’t know about you, but it’s been a good year so far, and I’m looking forward to a nice summer with BBQ, trips, and time off. I typically talk about selling consumables in the summer, and making sure you’re getting all the base products in your accounts so you don’t find yourself in a bidding war on the … [Read more...]
RepCorner: Gino Liongson
Family Legacy His parents’ sacrifice years ago continues to present opportunities for Gino Liongson, his wife and their children If you think selling to physicians, materials managers or nursing directors is tough, try selling paints and stains to residential repaint contractors. It might mean sitting in a Lowe’s parking lot and jotting down phone numbers from … [Read more...]
Quick Bytes
Do you know what your IoT devices are doing? You may have a number of smart Internet-connected devices in your home, but do you have any idea who they’re talking to or what they’re sending? For instance, let’s say you have a Roku TV and that you are live-streaming the Bloomberg Channel. Do you know that the Bloomberg Channel could be communicating with 13 different … [Read more...]
Little Bugs, Big Picture
“In all things, balance. In balance there is harmony.” That’s a little on the “zen” side, but balance is the best way to describe the relationship between the human immune system and the complex community of microbiota that surround us internally and externally. While we cannot see them with the naked eye and rarely think about them in daily life, the bacteria and other … [Read more...]
Primary Care Meets the Opioid Challenge
Needed: A shared understanding among staff of how patients on chronic opioid therapy are managed. Primary care clinics are feeling the weight of the opioid addiction crisis. And while newly developed medical devices will help them address the problem, a more important step will be improving the way practices manage chronic opioid therapy. “The sheer numbers of patients … [Read more...]
News
Owens & Minor names Jeffrey Jochims as EVP, Strategy & Solutions Owens & Minor Inc appointed Jeffrey Jochims as EVP, Strategy & Solutions, effective April 8, 2019. In his new role, Jochims will serve as chief strategy officer and lead the Solutions portfolio including Provider Solutions, Manufacturer Services, Movianto, and the Fusion5 relationship. Jochims was … [Read more...]