Commentary and Observations from
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Welcome to PCE's The Exchange—Stay Current on Issues That Matter Most to You and Your NP/PA Colleagues
PCE is excited to announce the launch of The Exchange, a collection of short commentaries from your NP/PA colleagues on a broad range of topics relevant to your practice. The Exchange will bring you reflections on trends in medicine, observations about new treatments and guidelines, and advice related to career decisions and practicing in today's changing healthcare environment.
A Free Algorithm Program to Scan Big Data for Chronic Kidney Disease
Posted By: 
Lawrence Herman, DMSc, MPA, PA-C
June 15, 2021
A team at Columbia University Medical Center in New York has developed and validated a free software algorithm that can scan an electronic medical record (EMR) and identify patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with a positive predictive value of 95% to 97% and a negative predictive value of 89%. They reported their findings in a partner journal to Nature.
The algorithm relies on multiple kidney-related metrics typically found in a patient's EMR. Two of the metrics inclu... Continue Reading
Filed under: Preventive Medicine, Public Health
Blood Tests for Detecting More Than 50 Cancer Types: Ready for Prime Time?
Posted By: Lawrence Herman, DMSc, MPA, PA-C
June 11, 2021
In the March 2020 issue of Annals of Oncology, Liu and colleagues detailed a "sensitive and specific multi-cancer detection and localization using m... Continue Reading
Filed under: Oncology/Hematology, Preventive Medicine
Post-COVID Health Conditions
Posted By: 
Susan M. Tiso, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
June 08, 2021
As we climb out of this pandemic, a new syndrome is emerging: Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC), also known as post-COVID conditions or long... Continue Reading
Filed under: Infectious Diseases, Public Health
COVID- 19 and Trust in Healthcare in the US: Where Has it Gone?
Posted By: Susan M. Tiso, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
June 02, 2021
We are so fortunate in the United States to have access to not only the COVID- 19 vaccine, but also to options as to which vaccine to receive. Most Americans... Continue Reading
Filed under: Health Policy and Trends, Public Health
Two Low-tech, High-value Methods for Reducing Knee Pain in Your Patients With Arthritis
Posted By: 
Richard S. Pope, PA-C, MPAS
May 28, 2021
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions treated in this country. According to NIH statistics, in 2005 there were... Continue Reading
Filed under: Orthopedics, Rheumatology
An Exciting Prospect for an Old SSRI in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Posted By: Richard S. Pope, PA-C, MPAS
May 25, 2021
Can an old selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), fluvoxamine, prevent individuals infected with COVID-19 from severe clinical decompensation? This 4... Continue Reading
Filed under: Infectious Diseases, Miscellaneous
Vaccinating Homebound Patients
Posted By: 
Debra A. Danforth, DNP, APRN
May 21, 2021
How many of you have patients who are homebound? According to Trust for America's Health, there are between 2 million and 4 million homebound patients in the... Continue Reading
Filed under: Preventive Medicine
Significance of Atypical Transient Ischemic Attacks
Posted By: 
Ben Taylor, PA-C, PhD, DFAAPA
May 18, 2021
It is comprehensively recognized that the diagnosis of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) can be difficult. While classic symptoms (motor weakness, dysphasia,... Continue Reading
Filed under: Cardiometabolic
Rhythm Control Versus Rate Control in Atrial Fibrillation
Posted By: Ben Taylor, PA-C, PhD, DFAAPA
May 14, 2021
It is a well-established fact that atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia; it can cause significant physical and emotional symptoms... Continue Reading
Filed under: Cardiometabolic
Kidney Function and Hypertension in Heart Failure: They Go Hand in Hand
Posted By: 
Daniel Thibodeau, MHP, PA-C
May 11, 2021
We all have been educated numerous times about the need to control hypertension in all patients with that diagnosis. This is particularly in patients with he... Continue Reading
Filed under: Cardiometabolic