Social media has been a hotbed of health falsehoods throughout the pandemic. That's why some physicians first flocked toward TikTok — and stayed.

The pandemic exposed the myriad inefficiencies and shortcomings of healthcare that workers have long managed to live with. Megan Ranney, MD, a practicing emergency medicine physician, thought the crisis would fuel the resources and political will to finally repair the system. 

Forty-seven percent of physicians reported feeling burned out last year, up from 42 percent in 2020, according to Medscape's 2021 Physician Burnout & Depression Report published Jan. 21.

Physicians from health systems in the Atlanta metropolitan area are urging the public to help reduce COVID-19 spread, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, some unvaccinated patients, even those who become critically ill, still deny the virus is behind their deterioration and vehemently distrust the physicians caring for them, a critical care physician said in an op-ed published Jan. 20 in The Los Angeles Times. 

Bonita Stanton, MD, founding dean of Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and president of Academic Enterprise at Hackensack Meridian Health, died Jan. 19.

Under orders from Gov. Charlie Baker, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Jan. 14 released several emergency orders to ease strain on the state's healthcare system, including allowing qualified physician assistants to practice independently. 

New York City-based NYU Langone selected Jason Fisher, MD, to serve as director of children's surgical services at the system's Hassenfeld Children's Hospital. 

Livingston, N.J.-based Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center appointed Joseph Koziol, MD, chair of neurosurgery, the system said Jan. 3.

Physician happiness dropped significantly during the pandemic, with 26 percent of surveyed physicians saying they were unhappy compared with 9 percent before the public health crisis, according to the results of the "Medscape 2022 Physician Lifestyle and Happiness Report."  

Some healthcare systems have launched new residency programs and partnerships to address workforce shortages.

Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital and the University of South Florida Health in Tampa have launched a new physician group, called USF Tampa General Physicians. 

The Medical Board of California is asking lawmakers to pass reforms that would extend its ability to discipline physicians accused of misconduct, The Los Angeles Times reported Jan. 7.

Medical educators are changing their curriculum to reflect COVID-19’s impact on workforce shortages and the need for various clinicians, Catherine Lucey, MD, professor and vice dean for education at the University of California San Francisco Medical School, said in a Jan. 2 interview with NPR.

Reports of verbal and physical abuse against staff at San Diego-based Scripps Health have risen 17 percent through September compared to last year, CBS 8 reported Dec. 23. 

CMS issued a final rule Dec. 17 that will fund 1,000 additional medical residency positions in hospitals serving rural and underserved communities. 

Los Angeles-based Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center named Thomas Yadegar, MD, the 2021 Murray Mazur Physician of the Year, it said Dec. 10. 

Legislation to address the nation's physician burnout crisis is one step closer to becoming law after passing in the House of Representatives Dec. 8. 

The Federation of State Medical Boards on Dec. 9 released findings from its annual survey showing that 67 percent of its members have experienced an increase in complaints related to licensee dissemination of untrue or misleading COVID-19 information. 

Due to a new statute state lawmakers passed during a special session, Tennessee's medical licensing board voted Dec. 7 to remove from its website a policy opposing COVID-19 misinformation, a board spokesperson confirmed to Becker's.