Coronavirus round-up: New hydroxychloroquine news; Neurocon and upcoming DC webinars

Study says hydroxychloroquine ineffective against COVID-19, increases risk of cardiac death

Hydroxychloroquine, a drug widely touted by President Trump for treating the COVID-19 coronavirus, in a study has been found to “show no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported,” according to the Associated Press.

A panel of experts convened by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has also agreed with the study, finding that “the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was associated with QTc prolongation in patients with COVID-19. QTc prolongation increases the risk of sudden cardiac death.”

The nationwide study was not rigorous, but with 368 patients is thus far the largest look at hydroxychloroquine with or without the antibiotic azithromycin. Grants from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Virginia paid for the work.

To read more go to apnews.com/a5077c7227b8eb8b0dc23423c0bbe2b2.

Neurocon by Parker Seminars going digital

The annual NeuroCon by Parker Seminars is going digital on July 31-Aug. 1, 2020, the organization said in a release.

NeuroCon is a two-day event designed for health care practitioners who will learn from, and network with, worldwide leaders on the disorders of the nervous system. Sessions will focus on advanced interdisciplinary scientific and clinical rehabilitation sciences with an aim to improve the health of those suffering from neurological disorders. This conference is suitable for anyone wanting to improve their skills in this area as well as those with a research interest in this evolving field of study.

“The safety of our community is a top priority,” organizers said. “In light of the current health safety recommendations, we will deliver our annual NeuroCon as a digital event…We will be presenting our normal schedule of speakers as planned, only they will be in a digital format that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. There may be some on-ground opportunities for those who are local, and information about that will be announced closer to the date of the event.”

To see the full schedule or for more info or to register go to parkerseminars.com/neurocon.

Free EHR webinar series to debut in May

Practice EHR, a provider of cost-effective, cloud-based medical practice solutions, is launching a webinar series in May to educate health care professionals on a variety of information technology topics. The free webinars are fast-paced, information-packed, and designed to help practices connect with patients and leverage platforms to maintain operational efficiency and financial success.

“The launch of this webinar series provides practices with an engaging, educational opportunity to learn how to leverage their EHR, and future topics will explore additional options to help practices run more efficiently and effectively,” said Karna Morrow, CPC, RCC, CCS-P, implementation manager at Practice EHR. “We want the industry to understand the tools available to them, understand what questions to ask and how to better serve their patients, when everyone is trying to do more with less.”

Topics will include:

• Selecting and Understanding Your EHR — Thursday, May 7 at 12 p.m. CT
• Connecting Practice and Patients: How to Embrace Telemedicine and the Patient Portal — Thursday, May 14 at 12 p.m. CT
• What is the Gold Standard in Revenue Cycle Management (RCM)? — Thursday, May 21 at 12 p.m. CT

Participants can learn more about and register for any of the webinars in the series at practiceehr.com/practice-ehr-webinar-events.

For the latest COVID-19 info for doctors of chiropractic, including upcoming webinars, updates, resources and articles from Chiropractic Economics, go to chiroeco.com/coronavirus-covid-19.