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How to Use and Store At-Home COVID-19 Tests Properly to Avoid Potential Harm

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting people that there is a potential for harm if  at-home COVID-19 tests are not used according to the manufacturer’s test instructions. Here are their recommendations for safe and effective at-home testing:

Recommendations  

  • Keep all parts of at-home COVID-19 test kits out of reach from children and pets before and after use. 
  • Store the at-home COVID-19 test in its box until you are ready to use it. 
  • Follow the manufacturer’s step by step test instructions exactly.  
    • Read the Warning, Precautions, And Safety Information in the test instructions for a description of chemical ingredients and recommendations for safe handling and what to do if they accidentally touch your skin or eyes. 
    • Keep the liquid solution away from the skin, nose, mouth, and eyes. Do not swallow the liquid solution. 
    • Use only the swab in the test kit to collect a nasal sample. 
  • After you perform the test: 
    • Follow all test instructions for how to throw away the used test parts.   
    • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. 

Get medical help right away by contacting your local poison control or health care provider if:  

  • Skin or eye irritation does not go away after exposure. 
  • A person or animal swallows the liquid solution. 

Avoid Potential Harm from Incorrect Use of At-Home COVID-19 Tests 

At-home COVID-19 diagnostic test kits include different parts such as a test cartridge, nasal swab, and small plastic vials containing liquid solutions needed to perform the test. The liquid solutions may include chemical ingredients, such as sodium azide, that help the test work properly or act as preservatives. The test chemicals can be irritating or toxic if they get on your skin, nose, or eyes or if they are swallowed. 

The FDA has received reports of injuries caused by incorrect use of at-home COVID-19 tests, including: 

  • Injuries caused by people accidently putting liquid test solution in their eyes when small vials of test solution were mistaken for eye drops.   
  • Injuries caused by placing nasal collection swabs into the liquid solution prior to swabbing the nose (the liquid solution is not supposed to touch your body).  
  • Injuries caused by children putting test parts in their mouth and swallowing liquid test solution. 

Texas Launches $23 Million Substance Use Disorder Prevention Campaign

By Joey Berlin

Federal data estimate that during 2020, more than 11 million Texans were living with substance use disorder. A new $23 million public awareness campaign from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is aiming to keep that number from growing.

The campaign, which HHSC announced in a March 8 release, will focus on “reducing stigma, building community connection and resilience, and changing social norms to prevent substance use.”

HHSC awarded contracts totaling $23.2 million to two entities as part of the campaign:

  • $16.7 million to FleishmanHillard, a public relations and marketing agency, which will focus the campaign on Texas youth, young adults, and families who are most at risk, as well as community leaders who can reach them; and
  • $6.5 million to the Center for Health Communication at The University of Texas at Austin to develop an interactive digital tool to improve the referral process for existing substance use disorder treatment, prevention, and recovery services, and to conduct research to support messaging for the prevention campaign.

HHSC says the campaign aims to reach about 2.5 million Texans. The funds are coming from nearly $253 million HHSC received in federal substance abuse prevention and treatment funds during 2021, including from the American Rescue Plan Act.

This article was originally published by the Texas Medical Association on March 15, 2022.

FDA Approves First Generic of Symbicort for Asthma, COPD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first generic of Symbicort (budesonide and formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Inhalation Aerosol for the treatment of two common pulmonary health conditions: asthma in patients six years of age and older and the maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction and reducing exacerbations for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

“Today’s approval of the first generic for one of the most commonly prescribed complex drug-device combination products to treat asthma and COPD is another step forward in our commitment to bring generic copies of complex drugs to the market, which can improve quality of life and help reduce the cost of treatment,” said Sally Choe, Ph.D., director of the Office of Generic Drugs in the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Asthma impacts 25 million people, more than five million of whom are children, while COPD afflicts more than 16 million, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The FDA granted approval of this generic budesonide and formoterol fumarate dihydrate inhalation aerosol to Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

You can find the full release from the FDA here.

AMA Toolkit Dissects Federal Surprise Billing Law

By Joey Berlin

Originally published by the Texas Medical Association on March 10, 20202.

Much of the federal government’s solution to resolve certain out-of-network billing disputes without balance billing or otherwise involving patients – known as the No Surprises Act – took effect at the start of 2022.

Among other pieces physicians must familiarize themselves with, the new federal law features an independent dispute resolution (IDR) process that was intended to let physicians and insurers both make their case for fair payment. Naturally, plenty of minutiae and arcana exists within the law, and a portion of the rules for the IDR process is under a legal challenge from the Texas Medical Association and others in organized medicine.

To help physician practices understand and navigate the new law, the American Medical Association has created a toolkit, Preparing for Implementation of the No Surprises Act. The 20-page toolkit includes information on:

  • Operational challenges physicians “will need to address immediately” to be compliant with the law’s new requirements, such as when uninsured and self-pay patients must receive a good-faith estimate of charges before they receive services;
  • What services and care fall under the rules of the No Surprises Act;
  • Timetables and requirements for the IDR process; and
  • When and how facilities and physician practices can obtain a patient’s consent to balance bill for out-of-network care at an in-network facility.

AMA says it will update the toolkit “as additional guidance is available” and will develop new resources on parts of the law not already included in the toolkit.

For additional information on the No Surprises Act, you can check out TMA’s list of resources on the law, which has both similarities and differences to Texas’ IDR law governing state-regulated health plans.

Meanwhile, TMA and others are still pushing to ensure the implementation of the law is fair for physicians seeking to get paid. In late October 2021, TMA filed suit to challenge what physicians and hospitals say is an unfair piece of the IDR process outlined in federal rules. Check future editions of Texas Medicine Today for updates on that lawsuit.

TCU Medical Student Publishes Two Children’s Books

By Prescotte Stokes III

You can find the original article here.

During a short break from medical school during Summer 2021, Sereena Jivraj, a second-year medical student at the TCU School of Medicine, had a burning desire to create something.

She combined her love for science, medicine and children for something special. She made the most of her time by writing two children’s books entitled, “Connor and His Composting Adventures” and “Ella and Her Vaccine Soldiers.”

“I’ve had these ideas in the back of my mind for some time,” Jivraj said. “I’ve spent so much time around children whether that was tutoring or babysitting and I’ve always been reading children’s books for years and it just felt like I’ve been so involved with kids in the past that it would be cool to keep it going in the future.”

Sereena Jivraj, a second-year medical student at the TCU School of Medicine, holds her newly published children’s books entitled “Connor and His Composting Adventures” and “Ella and Her Vaccine Soldiers.”

In “Connor and His Composting Adventures,” Connor learns what the difference is between compost and regular trash. Throughout the course of the story Connor learns what everyday items can be composted and how to prevent trash from ending up in a landfill.

“The point is just to educate kids and even parents on what composting is,” Jivraj said. “A lot of people when you speak to them about it they’ve never heard of it. What I really wanted to do is be able to instill that knowledge from a young age. Hopefully that will make it easier to make changes in our society one day in the future.”

Her second children’s book called  “Ella and Her Vaccine Soldiers” is about young Ella’s visit to her doctor. Ella learns how important vaccines are and how they can turn into “mini soldiers” to help her body fight viruses and diseases.

“With COVID-19 around last few years and previously with flu shots, I can remember everyone being afraid to go to the doctor just because they knew a shot was coming,” Jivraj said. “I want kids’ fears to be diminished so they can have a healthy relationship with their doctors and not fear them because you’re really brave when you get these vaccinations. I don’t want this fear of vaccines to prevent you getting the help that you need.”

Writing the books was a process that helped Jivraj tackle some of her own issues with long form writing. She reached out to the medical school’s Compassionate Practice® team after she did some volunteer work gathering donations for homeless individuals in Fort Worth and felt compelled to pen a poem about her experience.

“I used it as a way to get out my emotions and help me decompress,” Jivraj said. “I went to the Compassionate Practice® team and that kind of gave me the confidence to do this because I always felt like writing was my weakness.”

She also talked to Samir Nangia, M.D., a Physician Development Coach at the medical school, about the idea of penning the children’s books. During their chats, Dr. Naniga said that her urged Jivraj not to put her ideas off and take some time during her break to pursue them.

“In some instances, through coaching we can help students become more efficient with their time management and help them discover what resources they need to make their dreams a reality,” Dr. Nangia said.  “However, in some instances all it takes is that motivation and emotional support.  Both of which were true in Sereena’s case.”

In addition to embracing her creativity, Jivraj said that she chose to author children’s books so the information would be easy to understand and accessible to all people.

“This is a book that you can read to your child in your belly or read to your newborn,” Jivraj said. “Because just exposing them to the vocabulary and to the words it helps create those processes in their brains so when they are exposed to it later on, they are not completely confused about it.”

Both books “Connor and His Composting Adventures” and “Ella and Her Vaccine Soldiers” are available in the Amazon Store as a download or paperback version. They are also available to download on Kindle.

TCMS Gold-Headed Cane Nominations Open for 2022

Physicians, nominations are now open for the 2022 Gold-Headed Cane Award, which is given annually to an outstanding TCMS member who has made a significant impact on our medical community.

To be eligible for the award, a nominee must be a current member of TCMS and have been a TCMS member for at least 15 years. You can find the list of members who are eligible here.

All current TCMS members have the opportunity to nominate one candidate for this award. You can make your nomination or learn more here.

All nominations must be received by April 22, 2022.

Join Walk with a Doc on March 12

Join our local chapter of Walk with a Doc on Saturday, March 12, for a fun morning walking, talking about health, and meeting people in our community. You can find information about the spring dates here.

For more information, call Kate Russell, OMS-II, at 903-316-9392, or email her at KatherineRussell@my.unthsc.edu.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 03/02/22


COVID-19 Positive cases: 558,677

COVID-19 related deaths: 5653

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 539,665

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County updated Wednesday, March 2, 2o22. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

TCU Medical Student and TMA/TCMS Member Anand Singh Elected to AMA Student Board

By Prescotte Stokes III

Read the original article here.

The American Medical Association-Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS) Region 3 executive board recently elected Anand Singh, a first-year medical student at TCU School of Medicine to serve as the Co-Advocacy Chair.

The AMA-MSS Region 3 includes medical schools in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.

“My job is to learn about what different health care policies are being passed in these different states,” Singh said. “And spread that news and raise awareness among medical students because as we all know these policies impact everyone from students to physicians and patients.”

Singh will oversee the Region 3 advocacy committee and lead advocacy initiatives to engage region chapters.

He will also work with the Advocacy Subcommittee of the Committee on Legislation and Advocacy (COLA) to help our region engage with events like National Advocacy Week (NAW) and the Medical Student Advocacy Conference (MAC). He will also support the Membership Chair and Secretary in reaching out to local chapters to highlight advocacy endeavors and provide advocacy updates in AMA-MSS Region 3 monthly newsletters.

“Policy writing is very niche and not every physician has to do that but the way this connects with the medical school is how they teach us to be an advocate for your patients,” Singh said. “And growing that idea on a larger scale its advocating for your population. Not only talking to physicians you’re talking to legislative members, congress members and kind of impact a larger audience that’s a really great opportunity as future physicians.”

The Medical Student Section (MSS) aims to be a voice for medical students’ across the AMA to help improve medical education and advocating for the future of medicine.

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