Online Screening and Virtual Patient Education for Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment and Testing.

Objective: To use online screening and virtual patient education tools to improve the provision of hereditary cancer risk assessment.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-arm study in which clinicians at five U.S.

Challenges in the Era of Coding and Corporatization.

The past 40 years have witnessed a major redesign of health care, largely driven by rampantly increasing costs and the perception of lack of better outcomes to justify those costs. Many demographic changes have also challenged the women's health care provider workforce, and evolving new payment systems are likewise a source of angst for these providers. Managed care is seeking to cut costs, and the challenge is to do so without sacrificing quality.

Patient Safety in Outpatient Procedures.

The past 4 decades have seen a remarkable re-engineering of health care, particularly with respect to surgical services and the formalization of patient safety protocols. As various forces drove many surgical procedures to the ambulatory setting, many advantages, and perhaps several disadvantages, quickly became apparent. In some studies, adverse events were found to be more common in office settings for instance, and it was quickly recognized that the formal quality controls that had evolved in the hospital setting were not always transferred to the outpatient facility.

Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment and Genetic Testing in the Community-Practice Setting.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and results of incorporating routine hereditary cancer risk assessment, counseling, and follow-up genetic testing in the community obstetrics and gynecology practice setting without referral to a genetic counselor.

Methods: This prospective process intervention study was conducted with two obstetrics and gynecology practice groups (five sites). The intervention included baseline process assessment, refinement of clinic-specific patient screening workflows and tools, and training in hereditary cancer risk screening and follow-up.

Obesity and Tobacco Cessation Toolkits: Practical Tips and Tools to Save Lives.

Both obesity and smoking are public health burdens that together contribute to approximately one third of the deaths annually in the United States. In 2015, under the direction of Dr. Mark DeFrancesco, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists convened two workgroups with the purpose of creating toolkits that bring together information that the obstetrician-gynecologist can use to address these preventable health problems.

International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics opinion on reproductive health impacts of exposure to toxic environmental chemicals.

Exposure to toxic environmental chemicals during pregnancy and breastfeeding is ubiquitous and is a threat to healthy human reproduction. There are tens of thousands of chemicals in global commerce, and even small exposures to toxic chemicals during pregnancy can trigger adverse health consequences. Exposure to toxic environmental chemicals and related health outcomes are inequitably distributed within and between countries; universally, the consequences of exposure are disproportionately borne by people with low incomes.

Obstetricians and gynecologists' practice and opinions of expanded carrier testing and noninvasive prenatal testing.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the opinions of Fellows of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on expanded carrier testing (molecular detection of >100 genetic diseases of variable severity) and noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT).

Methods: A survey conducted between March and August 2012, assessed current use of testing, provision of genetic counseling, types of disorders that should be identified, preferences for future use, ethical aspects, and views on regulatory oversight.

Results: Expanded carrier testing was offered to all patients by 15% of the responders and 52.

Executive summary of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Presidential Task Force on Patient Safety in the Office Setting: reinvigorating safety in office-based gynecologic surgery.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Presidential Task Force on Patient Safety in the Office Setting was convened to identify patient safety concerns, develop tools, and provide guidance for physicians performing invasive surgical procedures in the office setting. Physicians who serve as office medical directors have a myriad of responsibilities related to clinical and patient safety, including evaluating staff competency, encouraging office team communication, promoting patient partnership, and ensuring safety in the use of analgesia or anesthesia. Activities and tools used in the inpatient setting, such as multidisciplinary team meetings, checklists, time-outs, mock emergency drills, and measurement and reporting systems, can easily be tailored and applied to any office practice.

Practice smarter... not harder!

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Presidential Task Force on Changing Practice in the 21st Century developed a list of practical goals or recommendations that ACOG or our members can implement, to improve practice satisfaction and ensure survival in the twenty-first century. Three areas of focus were 1) Patient Safety and Risk Management; 2) Practice Economics and Efficiencies; and 3) Workforce Changes. Recommendations in each area were subdivided into what ACOG might implement and what members can do themselves.