jueves, 31 de julio de 2025
Viewpoints: The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Is Essential; Why Autism Diagnoses Have Risen
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/viewpoints-the-vaccine-injury-compensation-program-is-essential-why-autism-diagnoses-have-risen/
Viewpoints: The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Is Essential; Why Autism Diagnoses Have Risen
Editorial writers discuss the following public health topics.
Stat: RFK Jr. Is Wrong About The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
In the latest effort to ruin America’s health, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) wants to abolish the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. He may have been partly influenced by claims from health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the program is broken. That’s simply not true. Eliminating it would harm not just people with valid claims of being harmed by vaccines but also the rest of us, by making vaccines less available. (Dorit R. Reiss and Arthur L. Caplan, 7/31)
The New York Times: Why Rising Rates Of Autism And ADHD Might Be A Good Sign
A global review found no clear evidence for a rise in prevalence between 1990 and 2010. It’s not just that the explosion of autism in recent decades doesn’t look all that mysterious; there is a pretty strong argument that there hasn’t been any big increase at all. (David Wallace-Wells, 7/30)
The New York Times: Donor Organs Are Too Rare. We Need A New Definition Of Death.
A person may serve as an organ donor only after being declared dead. (Until then, transplant surgeons are not allowed even to interact with a dying patient.) This common-sensical rule underpins organ donation in the United States and many other countries. (Sandeep Jauhar, Snehal Patel, Deane Smith, 7/30)
Stat: Vinay Prasad Was Not Good For The FDA. But His Ouster Makes Things Worse
Vinay Prasad’s three-month tenure as one of the top officials at the Food and Drug Administration was bad for medicine. But his forced departure is probably worse. (Matthew Herper, 7/30)
Bloomberg: Trump Attacking Trans Kids Is An Omen For Health Care
In his first six months in office, President Donald Trump has launched a relentless campaign of fear and intimidation aimed at dismantling the network that provides health care to transgender adolescents. (Lisa Jarvis, 7/30)
The CT Mirror: The Quality Of U.S. Healthcare And Governance Are Linked
Primary care medicine should be and is the bedrock of American healthcare. As a family physician and chairman of a department of family medicine at a medical school, I admit to being biased. Nonetheless, I am concerned that we are losing two essential bedrock elements of successful patient care: the biopsychosocial model of effective primary care and the concept of shared decision-making between clinician and patient. (Howard Selinger, MD, 7/30)
Stat: Medical Student Clinical Training Should Prioritize Patient Feedback
“Do a pelvic exam,” the surgeon said casually. The patient lying before me was about to undergo a hysterectomy. Did she know a student would be performing an unnecessary pelvic exam while she was unconscious? (Chad Childers, 7/31)
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/research-roundup-the-latest-science-discoveries-and-breakthroughs-35/
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news
MedPage Today: ECG Quirks Spotted After Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy
"We found that feminizing GAHT used in transgender women was associated with a prolongation of QTc and QTp and a decrease in TAmp, whereas masculinizing GAHT used in transgender men was associated with opposite observations. The magnitude of ECG variations, particularly QTc observed among the studied transgender subgroups before and after GAHT, was within 15 to 20 milliseconds and mimicked the magnitude of sexual dimorphism observed in cisgender adults," the investigators reported in JAMA Network Open. (Lou, 7/30)
CIDRAP: Data Show Good Flu Vaccine Efficacy In Pregnant, Nonpregnant Women And Older Adults
In the United States, influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) was similar in pregnant and nonpregnant women of reproductive age, respectively, in the 2023-24 season, and the MF59-adjuvanted and high-dose quadrivalent inactivated flu vaccines were likewise comparably effective in older adults in any setting in 2022-23, two new studies conclude. (Van Beusekom, 7/29)
Newsweek: New Hope For People With Asthma & Eczema
New understanding of a receptor key to allergic responses and anaphylaxis in conditions like asthma could offer a new treatment target for sufferers of a variety of conditions. This the promise of a study by researchers from China's Shenzhen and Wuhan universities, which have identified a mechanism that sustains the release of allergy-stimulating molecules from cells. (Millington, 7/29)
MedPage Today: Updated Evidence Favors Structured Exercise Programs For Atrial Fibrillation
Evidence indicated that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation had benefits for patients with atrial fibrillation (Afib or AF) in an updated meta-analysis. Across randomized trials, participants in rehab programs had significant improvements in Afib symptom severity, burden, episode frequency, episode duration, and recurrence over a mean follow-up of 11 months. (Lou, 7/29)
CIDRAP: Africa CDC Warns Of Exponential Mpox Spread In Guinea
As African countries continue to grapple with multiple mpox outbreaks involving different clades and transmission patterns, officials from Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) today said Guinea’s outbreak is escalating exponentially, showing similar signs to a recent surge in Sierra Leone. ountries in West Africa were affected later than hot spots in central Africa such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Burundi. Unlike those countries, more recently affected locations in West Africa have seen outbreaks mainly involving clade 2 viruses, including the one that triggered global spread. (Schnirring, 7/24)
Type Of HPV On Skin Can Cause Skin Cancer In The Immunocompromised
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/type-of-hpv-on-skin-can-cause-skin-cancer-in-the-immunocompromised/
Type Of HPV On Skin Can Cause Skin Cancer In The Immunocompromised
While HPV can help UV-damaged DNA build up in cells and turn cancerous, the study found that the virus itself could cause cancerous lesions to form. More studies in the news focus on how extreme heat makes us sicker, how SNAP participation is linked to slower cognitive decline, and more.
NBC News: A Type Of HPV Has Been Found To Cause Skin Cancer, According To A New Report
Doctors at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a new cause of skin cancer, according to a case report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The culprit is a type of human papillomavirus (HPV) that’s regularly found on the skin. It’s long been thought to play a role in the development of skin cancer, but wasn’t believed to be a direct cause. Skin cancer is caused by DNA damage in skin cells. (Sullivan, 7/30)
The Washington Post: Hotter Summers Could Be Making Us Sicker In Unexpected Ways
As the earth experiences hotter and hotter summers, new research using data from California emergency departments shows that the heat may be making us sicker than we know, and in ways we may not anticipate. A study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances tracked emergency department visits and fatalities in the state over the course of 11 years and found that while deaths increased both in cold and hot temperatures, especially among older adults, emergency room visits steadily increased as temperatures did — particularly among young children. (Mellen, 7/30)
The Hill: Humans Inhaling 100x More Microplastics Than Expected
Humans are likely inhaling far greater amounts of lung-penetrating microplastics than previously assumed, scientists are warning. People may be breathing in about 100 times more of these tiny fragments than past estimates indicated — from sources based both outside and indoors, including in homes and cars, researchers revealed in a new study, published on Wednesday in PLOS One. (Udasin, 7/30)
The New York Times: A New Study Links SNAP Participation To Slower Cognitive Decline
Adults who participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, experienced slightly slower cognitive decline over the course of a decade than those who were eligible for the program but did not enroll in it. That’s according to new research presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Diet and brain health are closely connected, and not having enough food is associated with poorer cognitive function and higher incidences of dementia in older adults. (Smith, 7/30)
Stat: Most Americans' Hearts May Be Older Than Their Chronological Age
Biological aging is hot. Even if scientists don’t agree on its definition, estimating how old your body is despite what the calendar says has gained steam in recent years. Measuring telomeres or genetic variables may be more appealing than, say, predicting your chances of having a heart attack as a percentage over 10 years, but under either method, age can move in two directions, adding years with exposure to unhealthy environments or subtracting them with both good luck and behaviors. (Cooney, 7/30)
Stat: In Long Quest For HIV Vaccine, Two Studies Offer Possible New Path
The decades-long push to develop an HIV vaccine has been riddled with setbacks. But researchers reported on Wednesday that they have managed to circumvent one of the longstanding challenges to developing protective shots against this complex and crafty virus. (Wosen, 7/30)
Two items are being recalled —
CBS News: Frozen Ground Beef That May Be Contaminated With Metal Recalled In Several States
Ada Valley Meat Company is recalling more than 1,000 pounds of fully cooked frozen ground beef that may be contaminated with metal, according to federal health officials. In an alert posted Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the frozen ready-to-eat item was packed in 20-pound cardboard box cases and shipped to establishments and distributors in California, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania. (Moniuszko, 7/30)
The Washington Post: High Noon Recalls Vodka Seltzers Mislabeled As Celsius Energy Drinks
Popular alcohol brand High Noon issued a voluntary recall of a batch of its variety 12-packs after discovering that some of them contained vodka seltzer mislabeled as Celsius energy drinks. The Food and Drug Administration issued a recall notice Wednesday, warning that the sparkling blue razz flavor of the Astro Vibe energy drink may contain vodka and cause “unintentional alcohol ingestion.” No illnesses or deaths have resulted so far from the mishap, it said. (Moon, 7/31)
Health Officials Warn Of Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak In NYC
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/health-officials-warn-of-legionnaires-disease-outbreak-in-nyc/
Health Officials Warn Of Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak In NYC
The city's health department is investigating a cluster of cases that has killed one person and sickened more than 20 others. Separately, researchers have noted a surge in pediatric cases of influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy.
ABC News: 1 Dead And At Least 22 Sick From Legionnaires' Disease Cluster In New York City
One person is dead and at least 22 people have become sick from a Legionnaires’ disease cluster in New York City since last Friday, health officials said. The New York City Health Department provided an update on Thursday into its investigation of a community cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and the surrounding communities. (Haworth, 7/31)
On flu and covid —
San Francisco Chronicle: This Deadly Flu Complication Has Surged In Children, Study Reports
A study published Wednesday provides one of the most comprehensive descriptions to date about a rare, but potentially deadly, flu complication that has devastating consequences for children. The report describes a surge in the number of cases of the condition in the past two flu seasons. The potential fatal complication — influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy — is associated with brain swelling and a runaway immune response. Severe health problems like these are a big reason that medical experts strongly recommend flu vaccines, especially for young children and older adults. (Lee, 7/30)
Newsweek: Respiratory Viruses Risk Waking Dormant Cancer
Respiratory infections like COVID-19 and the flu may increase the risk of dormant breast cancer cells reactivating and spreading in those with a history of the disease. This is the conclusion of a study based on experiments with mice and observational human health data by researchers at the University of Colorado, the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) in New York and Utrecht University. (Millington, 7/30)
CIDRAP: Study Finds No Safety Issues With Most Recent MRNA COVID Vaccines
At a time when federal officials are calling into question the safety and necessity of COVID-19 vaccines, the mRNA COVID vaccine version used this past season showed no elevated risk of any of the 29 serious adverse events that researchers in Denmark assessed. (Wappes, 7/30)
MedPage Today: Novel Drug May Help Speed Kids' GI Recovery In Severe Post-COVID Syndrome
Adding a novel oral drug originally designed to treat celiac disease to standard treatment for post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) appeared safe and effective in a small, phase IIa randomized, double-blind trial. (Rudd, 7/30)
On fungal meningitis —
CIDRAP: Report Details Deadly Medical Tourism–Related Fungal Meningitis Outbreak
A report in Clinical Infectious Diseases describes the largest US outbreak of fungal meningitis caused by Fusarium species, which occurred among residents who received epidural anesthesia for cosmetic surgeries with the same anesthesiologist in Matamoros, Mexico, in 2023. Of the 24 patients sickened, 12 died, which the authors say underscores the need for clinicians to suspect fungal meningitis in patients with negative bacterial and viral cultures and molecular testing who underwent epidural anesthesia for any reason. (Van Beusekom, 7/30)
California Governor Signs Executive Order To Boost Men’s Mental Health
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/california-governor-signs-executive-order-to-boost-mens-mental-health/
California Governor Signs Executive Order To Boost Men’s Mental Health
The order is aimed at improving the mental health struggles of men and boys ranging from loneliness to suicide rates. Other states making news: New Hampshire, Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Illinois, North Carolina, West Virginia, and New York.
AP: California Governor Signs Men's Mental Health Executive Order
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at supporting men and boys and improving their mental health outcomes, in an effort to lower suicide rates among young men and help them feel less isolated. The order directs the state Health and Human Services Agency to recommend ways to address suicide rates among young men and help them seek services to improve their mental health and well-being. It also requires the state to connect them with education and career opportunities. (Austin, 7/31)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Concord Monitor: State Budget Mandates Sale Of Mental Health Housing In Concord By 2027
In another perceived setback to New Hampshire’s mental health system, the state budget calls for the sale of the Philbrook Adult Transitional Housing Facility in Concord within two years. The 16-bed step-down residence located less than half a mile from New Hampshire Hospital, the state’s inpatient psychiatric facility, plays a crucial role in helping individuals reintegrate into the community after an involuntary emergency admission due to a mental health crisis. (Gopalakrishnan, 7/30)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Senate Advances Bill To Ban THC
The Texas Senate on Wednesday preliminarily approved its second attempt to ban hemp-derived THC, setting up a showdown with the House, where hemp industry members say they’ll be getting more support. (Simpson, 7/30)
ProPublica: Trump DOJ Halted Major Civil Rights Lawsuits In Louisiana, South Carolina
The Trump administration has halted litigation aimed at stopping civil rights abuses of prisoners in Louisiana and mentally ill people living in South Carolina group homes. The Biden administration filed lawsuits against the two states in December after Department of Justice investigations concluded that they had failed to fix violations despite years of warnings. (Johnson, 7/31)
WBEZ Chicago: Chicago Hospitals Are Scaling Back Trans Care For Youth. A Rapid Response Team Is Stepping In.
As more hospitals in Chicago cut back care for trans youth, advocates have launched a rapid response team to connect families with other doctors and cover the cost of everything from appointments to medication. The response team has built a network of at least 30 doctors and nurse practitioners in private practice throughout Illinois who provide hormone therapy or blockers to delay puberty. It also includes roughly 10 physicians who will perform surgeries, said Asher McMaher, executive director of Trans Up Front Illinois, an advocacy organization that put out the call to providers for help. (Schorsch, 7/29)
North Carolina Health News: Federal Funding Cuts, Delays Undermine NC's HIV Response
The first domino fell when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t renew North Carolina’s $13.8 million HIV Prevention and Surveillance grant before it ran out on May 31. The second blow came when the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services passed that nonrenewal along to 13 nonprofits across the state that had been using the money for HIV and syphilis testing. (Fernandez, 7/31)
AP: Cool Ranch Doritos And Foods With Synthetic Dyes Are Off West Virginia School Menus
When school starts in West Virginia next month, 240,000 students in districts large and small will notice something missing from their cafeteria trays. Gone will be red Jell-O fruit cups, yogurt topped with brightly hued sprinkles and Cool Ranch Doritos — all foods made with synthetic dyes. In their place will be foods that contain colors made only from natural sources — such as vegetables, spices and seeds — after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a sweeping new law in March banning seven artificial dyes from school meals. (Aleccia, 7/30)
On the gun violence epidemic —
The New York Times: Park Avenue Killer Bought Rifle For $1,400 From His Casino Boss
The gunman who killed a police officer and three other people at a Midtown Manhattan office building on Monday bought his AR-15-style rifle for $1,400 from the man who supervised him at his job at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, New York police officials said on Wednesday. The police did not say during their briefing whether the sale of the weapon to the gunman, Shane Devon Tamura, 27, was illegal, but said the seller had been cooperating with investigators and was not being charged in New York. (Cramer and Marcius, 7/30)
Communities In A Bind After Private-Equity Payouts Gutted Hospitals
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/communities-in-a-bind-after-private-equity-payouts-gutted-hospitals/
Communities In A Bind After Private-Equity Payouts Gutted Hospitals
The Wall Street Journal delves into the bankruptcies of two hospital systems that left gaps in health care and financially strained state and local governments. Separately, the workforce shortage afflicting the health care sector might worsen under President Trump's budget cuts.
The Wall Street Journal: Hospital Failures Following Private-Equity Payouts Leave Patients, Taxpayers In Lurch
The recent collapses of Steward Health Care System and Prospect Medical Holdings, the two biggest hospital bankruptcies in decades, are forcing communities to pay up to fill gaps in patient care and budgets left by the failed chains. State and local governments and community nonprofits have poured in tens of millions of dollars to bail out the bankrupt companies’ hospitals, according to public officials and court records. Steward and Prospect are also delinquent on property taxes and other levies, forcing some communities to hike property taxes. (Biswas, 7/30)
Modern Healthcare: GRAD Plus Program Cuts In Tax Law May Worsen Labor Shortage
The healthcare sector faces steeper labor expenses and possibly higher borrowing costs because of measures in President Donald Trump’s tax-cut bill that curb federal spending on education. The “One Big Beautiful Bill’s” $1.1 trillion in Medicaid and health insurance exchanges cuts attracted the most attention from healthcare interests, but the law also includes more than $300 billion in cuts to student loan programs. Among other things, it eliminates the Grad PLUS program, which has been the main way advanced health professionals have financed their educations since 2007. (McAuliff, 7/30)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: BJC, Cigna Reach Deal To Extend Coverage
BJC HealthCare, the region's largest health care provider, will stay in-network for patients who have insurance through Cigna Healthcare, both sides announced Wednesday. (Suntrup, 7/30)
Modern Healthcare: HCA, Tenet Bet On Outpatient Expansions To Offset Tax Law Cuts
Health systems performed fewer surgeries in the second quarter compared to last year, but executives expect volumes to rebound as they forge ahead with plans to acquire and build new outpatient facilities. Community Health Systems, HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare Corp. and Universal Healthcare Services outlined plans in second-quarter earnings calls to expand their networks and add services despite federal funding reductions under the new tax law. (Kacik, 7/30)
Chicago Tribune: Northwest Health Surgeons Tout Benefits Of Robotic Surgeries
With estimates that roughly 15% of all surgeries use robots, an open house Tuesday afternoon at Northwest Health Porter in Valparaiso was a timely opportunity for the public to try out the technology for themselves. The three-part DaVinci 5 Robotic System has been in use at the hospital for the past month. Bryttney VanGoethem of LaPorte rearranged her schedule so she could see it in person. “My grandma is getting surgery done,” she said. “We found out she has colon cancer.” (Jones, 7/30)
Bloomberg: AbbVie In Talks To Acquire Gilgamesh In $1 Billion Deal
AbbVie Inc. is in talks to acquire mental health therapeutics company Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals in a deal highlighting growing takeover interest in the sector, according to people familiar with the matter. A potential deal could value privately held Gilgamesh at about $1 billion, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. An announcement could be made in the coming weeks, the people said. (Henning, Muller, and Baker, 7/30)
Also —
CNN: ‘Ozempic Face’ May Be Driving A Cosmetic Surgery Boom
About two years ago, celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank noticed a new type of patient arriving at his New York practice. Amid an explosion in the number of Americans losing weight with drugs like Ozempic, he saw a “dramatic spike” in clients experiencing unwelcome side effects. (Holland, 7/30)
MedPage Today: Is Psilocybin's Depression Benefit Overestimated?
Control group outcomes in randomized trials of psilocybin indicated less improvement in depression scores compared with trials of other antidepressants, according to a meta-analysis, suggesting that psilocybin's efficacy may be lower than previously estimated. (Monaco, 7/30)
Estimated Average Cost Of Health Care For Retirees Sees 4% Rise, Fidelity says
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/estimated-average-cost-of-health-care-for-retirees-sees-4-rise-fidelity-says/
Estimated Average Cost Of Health Care For Retirees Sees 4% Rise, Fidelity says
The average cost now sits at $172,500, according to research by Fidelity Investments. The research also shows that a quarter of Gen Xers have not factored in health care costs to their retirement plans. Also in the news: Democrats attempt to repeal health cuts; pharmaceutical costs are expected to rise; and more.
InvestmentNews: The Average Retiree Is Facing $173K In Health Care Costs, Fidelity Says
The financial cost of care for retirees has gotten higher than ever, with new research from Fidelity Investments indicating Americans are ill-prepared to cope with the financial toll of medication, medical care, and health insurance in retirement. According to Fidelity's 24th annual Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate, released Wednesday, a 65-year-old retiring this year will need an average of $172,500 to cover health care and medical expenses throughout retirement. The figure marks a more than 4% increase from last year’s estimate and continues a steady rise since the company’s first projection of $80,000 in 2002. (Almazora, 7/30)
More on the high cost of health care and prescription drugs —
Modern Healthcare: On Medicare Anniversary, Dems Introduce Bill To Reverse Health Cuts
Democrats are ramping up efforts against the $1.1 trillion in healthcare cuts President Donald Trump enacted this month. On Wednesday, the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, Senate Democrats staged a pair of news conferences to highlight the impacts of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and to unveil legislation that would repeal its $964 billion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years and the $$124 billion it slashed from the health insurance exchanges. (McAuliff, 7/30)
Becker's Hospital Review: Pharmaceutical Costs Expected To Rise 3.35% In 2026
Pharmaceutical prices are expected to rise by 3.35% in 2026, according to Vizient’s latest Pharmacy Market Outlet report, released in July. The report found that price pressures are easing in certain areas due to biosimilar competition, especially with respect to drugs such as Humira and Stelara. High-use inpatient medications are also expected to see price declines. Pediatric drugs are expected to have the highest inflation rate, at 3.93%, while prices in the self-administered medication segment dropped from 4.53% to 3.3%. (Murphy, 7/30)
The Washington Post: Trump Savings Accounts A ‘Back Door For Privatizing Social Security,’ Bessent Says
The newborn savings accounts created as part of President Donald Trump’s massive new tax and immigration law are a “back door for privatizing Social Security,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday. The “Trump accounts” enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill give newborns a $1,000 savings account that can be invested with tax-deferred treatment. Families or their employers can make $5,000 contributions to the accounts each year until the beneficiary turns 18. (Bogage, 7/30)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Weigh In On Making American Health Care Affordable Again
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. ... Sounding the Alarm for Ambulances. Thank you for shedding much-needed light on the exorbitant costs and lack of reimbursement that have become a harsh reality for many ambulance services across Colorado and the nation (“Insurers Fight State Laws Restricting Surprise Ambulance Bills,” July 9). While it’s vital to protect patients from “surprise” bills — something your coverage highlights — it’s equally important to acknowledge the other side of the equation. (7/31)
KFF Health News: A Tourist Ended Up With A Wild Bat In Her Mouth — And Nearly $21,000 In Medical Bills
In retrospect, Erica Kahn realizes she made two big mistakes. The first was choosing to temporarily forgo health insurance when she was laid off from her job. The second was screaming when a wild bat later landed on her face. (Leys, 7/31)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
The Hill: Alsobrooks, Lummis Back Bill Funding Study Of Uterine Fibroids
Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) will introduce a bill to award federal grants to study uterine fibroids as one of several competing bipartisan measures to support study of the noncancerous growths common in women of childbearing age. The bill would establish a new grant program of unspecified amount and duration to support research on early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids, including screening procedures. (Waldvogel, 7/30)
The Hill: GOP States Urge Congress To Ban State-Level Abortion Shield Laws
More than a dozen Republican-led states are urging Congress to ban abortion shield laws, pieces of legislation passed in states where abortion is legal that protect abortion providers from liability for violating anti-abortion laws in other states. A total of 15 GOP attorneys general signed and sent a letter to congressional leadership this week requesting federal action be taken to preempt abortion shield laws, arguing they interfere with states’ ability to enforce criminal laws. (O’Connell-Domenech, 7/30)
White House Teams Up With Big Tech On A Consumer Health Records System
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/white-house-teams-up-with-big-tech-on-a-consumer-health-records-system/
White House Teams Up With Big Tech On A Consumer Health Records System
Experts raised questions over privacy and security related to a consumer health tracking system following President Donald Trump's Wednesday announcement. Other administration news is on the FDA, CDC, and more.
The New York Times: Trump Announces Health Care Records System For Consumers
President Trump on Wednesday announced the development of a health care records system that he said would allow Americans to more easily and broadly share their personal health information with health care providers. The administration is working with some of the largest American companies on the record-keeping system, including Google, Amazon, Apple and OpenAI. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will oversee the effort. Many health care providers already allow patients to upload their medical information and schedule appointments through phone apps and online portals. (Kanno-Youngs and Abelson, 7/30)
On Trump administration personnel —
Stat: George Tidmarsh Named Acting Head Of FDA's CBER
George Tidmarsh, the Food and Drug Administration’s top drug regulator, will take on additional responsibilities on a temporary basis after the sudden departure of top official Vinay Prasad on Tuesday. (Lawrence, 7/30)
Politico: Trump Drove Firing Of FDA Official
President Donald Trump overruled his health secretary and FDA chief on Tuesday, and ordered the removal of the government’s top vaccine regulator, four people with knowledge of the decision told POLITICO. The four, granted anonymity to speak about the details of Trump’s decision, said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary opposed dismissing Vinay Prasad, who had been on the job three months and had recently come under attack by right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer. (Lim and Gardner, 7/30)
Stat: White House Pandemic Office Left Leaderless After Parker Exit
When reports circulated in February that the White House had selected biosecurity expert Gerald Parker as the head of its Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, there was palpable relief among infectious disease experts. (Eban, 7/30)
Stat: Trump HHS Nominee Sought Methadone Treatment Ban In West Virginia
President Trump’s nominee to serve as the top lawyer for the Department of Health and Human Services previously attempted to ban methadone treatment while serving as a West Virginia state senator. (Facher, 7/30)
The New York Times: Susan Monarez Faces Daunting Challenges As C.D.C. Director
The agency’s new leader must contend with reduced budgets, mass layoffs, political tumult and a boss determined to reshape public health. Many current and former C.D.C. employees said on Wednesday that they were relieved to have a permanent director who could steer the agency and promote its priorities in the administration, but worried that Dr. Monarez might become a figurehead. “It’s probably better than not that there’s an acting director, but I’m not super optimistic that she’s going to be a strong advocate for the agency, given this political climate,” said Dr. Fiona Havers, who resigned from the C.D.C. last month.(Mandavilli, 7/30)
Also —
AP: Ousted CDC Vaccine Committee Members Criticize Meeting Held By Their Successors
The 17 experts who were ousted from a government vaccine committee last month say they have little faith in what the panel has become, and have outlined possible alternative ways to make U.S. vaccine policy. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly fired the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, accusing them of being too closely aligned with manufacturers and of rubber-stamping vaccines. He handpicked replacements that include several vaccine skeptics. (Stobbe, 7/31)
KFF Health News: Chronically Ill? In Kennedy’s View, It Might Be Your Own Fault
On a recent weekday evening, Ashly Richards helped her 13-year-old son, Case, with homework. He did math problems and some reading, underscoring how much he’s accomplished at his school for children with autism. Richards has heard Trump administration officials suggest that food dyes and pediatric vaccines cause autism and ADHD. That stance, she said, unfairly blames parents. (Armour, 7/31)
Comparing Your Pay Against Your Peers’: Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2025 Jon McKenna | +++ ++ +++++
Career & Finances
2025 Physician Salaries Ranked
Comparing Your Pay Against Your Peers’: Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2025
Jon McKenna |
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2025-compensation-overview-6018103?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
Which Investment Strategies Are Paying Off for Docs?
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/docs-and-investing-6018131?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
Top Regions Where PAs Earn the Most
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2025-physician-assistant-compensation-6018278?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
Entrepreneurship
How Physicians Are Building Businesses
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2025-docs-as-entreprenuers-6017932?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
Top 10 Telemedicine-Friendly States 2025
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2025-telemedicine-states-6018219?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
2025 Specialty Compensation Reports
Cardiology
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2025-compensation-cardiologist-6018109?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
Family Medicine
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2025-compensation-family-physician-6018107?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
Internal Medicine
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2025-internist-comp-rpt-6018108?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
Oncology
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2025-compensation-oncologist-6018266?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
View All Specialties
https://www.medscape.com/index/list_12363_0?ecd=WNL_physrep_250730_MSCPEDIT_comp-q2_etid7606276&uac=148436CN&impID=7606276
Editorial An equitable, safe, and reliable blood supply in the Western Pacific + + +...
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(25)00186-5/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email
Jul 2025
Volume 60
Open Access
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/issue/vol60nonull/PIIS2666-6065(25)X0008-0
The effect of antimicrobial stewardship interventions upon antimicrobial consumption and appropriateness in Vietnamese district hospitals: a cluster randomised trial
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(25)00157-9/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_feature_lanwpc
miércoles, 30 de julio de 2025
Viewpoints: Black Box Warnings On Menopause Treatments Are Outdated; We Expect Too Much Of Our Doctors
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/viewpoints-black-box-warnings-on-menopause-treatments-are-outdated-we-expect-too-much-of-our-doctors/
Viewpoints: Black Box Warnings On Menopause Treatments Are Outdated; We Expect Too Much Of Our Doctors
Editorial writers examine these public health issues.
The Washington Post: The FDA Should Stop Scaring Women About This Menopause Treatment
For years, the Food and Drug Administration has been warning women about hormone therapies to treat menopause symptoms. The agency requires all estrogen-containing products to display a black box safety label — the most severe packaging requirement — claiming that they increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attacks and dementia. Here's the problem: It’s not accurate. (Leana S. Wen, 7/29)
Stat: Medicine Asks Doctors For More And More — Until They Break
I’m writing this with a heating pad on my back, a lukewarm cup of tea next to me, and a to-do list I’ve already given up on. Welcome to my glamorous life in medicine. (Cara Poland, 7/30)
Bloomberg: Health Screenings Work. So Why Gut The Panel Behind Them?
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is expected to fire members of the critical US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for being too “woke,” according to the Wall Street Journal, which was first to report the news. The independent panel of volunteer experts in primary care has significant influence over the practice of medicine and access to care in the US. (Lisa Jarvis, 7/29)
Also —
CNN: Opioid Fight Demands Better Overdose Reversal Strategies, Stronger Policy Support, Former US Surgeon General Says
The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which experts predict will reduce Medicaid coverage for millions of Americans, combined with the proposed elimination of a $56 million grant for overdose reversal training and distribution, threatens to undermine progress in reducing opioid overdose deaths. (Dr. Jerome Adams, 7/29)
Chicago Tribune: This Is How Addiction Science Is Saving Lives
Like many who have endured childhood trauma, Shannon Hicks turned to drugs at an early age. Pregnant by 16 and a mother of two by 19, she was married and living in her first home — believing she was living the dream. Shortly after her 20th birthday, Hicks was in a serious car accident and prescribed opioids for the resulting pain. But the medication unearthed long-suppressed trauma from childhood sexual abuse, intensifying her opioid use and deepening her dependence. (Diana Fishbein, 7/29)
West Virginia Watch: With WV’s History, It’s No Surprise Most Opioid Settlement Money Has Gone To Law Enforcement
West Virginia has a serious drug problem. For years, the Mountain State has been referred to as “ground zero” for the nation’s ongoing drug and overdose epidemic. Research has proven that the most effective way to help people who use drugs intravenously is syringe service programs. These programs provide free needles for drug users to help stop the spread of diseases, like HIV and hepatitis C. However, those programs are banned in West Virginia. And while harm reduction programs have proven to be effective, lawmakers continue to make it difficult to open or run them. West Virginia has nine methadone clinics, and state law prohibits any more from opening. (Leann Ray, 7/29)
Alzheimer’s Association Recommends Favoring Diagnostic Blood Tests
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/alzheimers-association-recommends-favoring-diagnostic-blood-tests/
Alzheimer’s Association Recommends Favoring Diagnostic Blood Tests
The group says certain blood tests can be used as high fidelity negative tests, since they have over 90% sensitivity. Positive results would still need to be confirmed with traditional tests like PET scans or spinal taps. In other news: a home test for melanoma; risks from ultraprocessed foods; and more.
Stat: Alzheimer's Association Clears Way For New Diagnostic Blood Tests
A major Alzheimer’s disease medical group is recommending that specialists may use certain blood tests to help diagnose patients with cognitive impairment in lieu of more complex and invasive tests, a move that could lead more people to get treated for the devastating disease. (Chen, 7/29)
Newsweek: Skin Cancer: Home Test Could Identify Melanoma
A simple skin patch and COVID-like test could soon allow people to test for melanoma in the comfort of their home—helping catch the most dangerous type of skin cancer early without the need for a biopsy or blood draw. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, researchers from the University of Michigan (U-M) developed a silicone patch with star-shaped microneedles called the 'ExoPatch'. (Millington, 7/29)
CNN: Ultraprocessed Foods May Be Linked To Increased Lung Cancer Risk, New Research Shows
There are many reasons to avoid ultraprocessed foods, including a link with heart disease, diabetes and obesity, but an increased risk of lung cancer may be yet another, a new study suggests. (Holcombe, 7/29)
In global health news —
Bloomberg: YouTube To Be Included In Australia’s Teen Social Media Ban Legislation
YouTube will be included in Australia’s social media ban for children under 16 years of age, an about-face by officials after the Google-owned video site had initially been left out of the legislation. YouTube joins Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook and Instagram, Snap Inc.’s Snapchat, TikTok and X in the ban on underage account holders, which is due to come into force on Dec. 10, the government said in a statement. (Leigh and Chandler, 7/30)
Family Tried To Get Help For Walmart Stabbing Suspect, Brother Says
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/family-tried-to-get-help-for-walmart-stabbing-suspect-brother-says/
Family Tried To Get Help For Walmart Stabbing Suspect, Brother Says
The family of Bradford Gille, 42, who is accused of stabbing 11 people at the store near Traverse City, Michigan, told Bridge Michigan, “We've been throwing flags for the last 28 years." Other states making news: New York, North Carolina, Colorado, and South Carolina.
Bridge Michigan: Brother: Walmart Attack Suspect A Danger For Years, ‘Fell Through Cracks Every Time’
The family of a homeless man with mental issues accused of stabbing 11 people at a Walmart near Traverse City on Saturday say they’ve begged authorities to institutionalize him for decades. The man’s brother, Shane Gille, said he yelled at law enforcement officers who arrived at his Pellston home on Sunday to tell him his brother was in custody. “I laid into them,” Gille told Bridge Michigan. “We've been throwing flags for the last 28 years that he needs a kind of placement.” “Things need to change,” he continued, adding that his family offers “condolences to the families and the victims that have had to endure this. This is a completely tragic incident that was completely preventable.” (Newman, 7/28)
On the gun violence epidemic —
The New York Times: Details Emerge Of Park Ave. Gunman’s Mental Health History
The New York City police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, said on Monday that law enforcement officials in Nevada had described Mr. Tamura as having a “documented mental health history.” On Tuesday, a law enforcement official briefed on the matter said that Mr. Tamura had been the subject of multiple calls related to mental health logged by the Las Vegas police. He was held involuntarily for 72 hours after mental health crises at least twice, once in 2022 and again last year, according to two other law enforcement officials, one of whom said the holds had occurred in Nevada. He had been charged with criminal trespass and received traffic citations in Nevada, records show. (Haag, Marcius and Cramer, 7/29)
The New York Times: Even New York’s Strict Gun Laws Couldn’t Prevent The Midtown Shooting
Despite New York’s stringent gun laws and the office building’s tight security, law enforcement officials and legal experts said, the shooting — the deadliest in New York City in 25 years — may have been all but unstoppable. New York has one of the world’s most sophisticated surveillance networks and the resources to deploy a massive police response, said Brittney Blair, an associate managing director of K2 Integrity, a risk-management and investigative firm. But a piecemeal network of looser regulations nationwide enabled a lone gunman with no criminal history to drive undetected across several states on his way to the city. (Chen and Bromwich, 7/29)
More health news from across the U.S. —
North Carolina Health News: Lawmakers Override NC Gov. Stein’s Vetoes Of Bills That Have Health Policy Implications
After a month away from Raleigh, state lawmakers returned to the capital on Tuesday — along with crowds of protesters and supporters — for a session aimed at overriding vetoes issued by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein during the recent legislative session. (Hoban and Crumpler, 7/30)
The Colorado Sun: Women Have Filed More Than 60% Of Colorado’s Paid Family And Medical Leave Insurance Claims
Donna Thompson didn’t want to use a cane, but she was running out of options. After years of living with debilitating hip and knee pain, the 66-year-old needed extra assistance to get around. Though she retired from her office manager job four years ago and moved to Colorado from Kansas, Thompson was still working two jobs — at a consignment clothing store and handling bookkeeping at a Sprouts Farmers Market — for extra income. She couldn’t afford to take time off for surgery. (Singer, 7/29)
CBS News: Family Of Boy Who Died From Brain-Eating Amoeba Raise Awareness: "We Don't Want His Death To Be In Vain"
The family of 12-year-old Jaysen Carr is speaking out about the child's recent passing from a brain-eating amoeba. In a new conference Tuesday in Columbia, South Carolina, Carr's parents said they wanted to bring awareness to the rare but often fatal brain infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri organism. The infection, called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, occurs when water is forced up the nose and is able to cross into the brain, which can happen during recreational freshwater activities. (Moniuszko, 7/29)
Report: Many Hospitals Fail To Identify ‘Harm Events’ For Medicare Patients
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/report-many-hospitals-fail-to-identify-harm-events-for-medicare-patients/
Report: Many Hospitals Fail To Identify ‘Harm Events’ For Medicare Patients
Hospitals told the HHS Office of Inspector General that they did not identify some harm events because staff did not consider them to be harmful or that it was difficult to distinguish harm from patients’ underlying medical conditions, Modern Healthcare reported. Plus: Today is the 60th anniversary of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Modern Healthcare: Medicare Patients Experiencing Harm Events Go Unreported: OIG
Hospitals are falling short of federal and state harm reporting requirements, according to a report federal investigators published Tuesday. Nearly half of hospitals surveyed failed to identify “harm events” among hospitalized Medicare patients in October 2018, according to the Health and Human Services Department Office of Inspector General. Even fewer of those occurrences were investigated, the OIG found. (Early, 7/29)
Stat: AI 'Breakthrough' Devices May Get Automatic Medicare Coverage
Medical device lobbyists and lawmakers have united in recent months over legislation that would make it easier to bill Medicare for artificial intelligence-based devices used in health care. They want to grease the squeaky wheels of reimbursement for “algorithm-based health services,” many of which have seen limited adoption despite getting cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. (Palmer, 7/30)
Modern Healthcare: 5 Medicare Pay Rules Are Expected By Friday. Here's What To Know
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is set to reveal fiscal 2026 Medicare reimbursements for inpatient providers within days. Final rules detailing payment rates and new policies for inpatient hospitals, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, hospice providers and inpatient rehabilitation facilities are expected to be published as soon as Friday. (Early, 7/29)
Newsweek: What The Future Of Medicaid And Medicare Could Look Like
On this day 60 years ago, the Medicaid and Medicare programs were signed into law by former President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was July 30, 1965, and both programs were established within the Social Security Act. In light of the programs' landmark anniversary, Newsweek has spoken to experts about what is in store for the programs in the coming years during the term of President Donald Trump. (Laws, 7/30)
UnitedHealthcare To Leave Some Medicare Advantage Markets
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/unitedhealthcare-to-leave-some-medicare-advantage-markets/
UnitedHealthcare To Leave Some Medicare Advantage Markets
Hit by rising medical care costs and squeezed by government changes, the health care conglomerate acknowledges “pricing and operational mistakes” affected its bottom line and has outlined steps to profitability. Other companies making news include Humana, Novo Nordisk, P&G, and more.
Fierce Healthcare: UnitedHealthcare To Exit Certain Medicare Advantage Markets As Costs Balloon, Impacting 600K Enrollees
It has decided to exit certain markets largely with plans that are more loosely designed, such as PPOs, in a move that will impact 600,000 beneficiaries. (Minemyer, 7/29)
Bloomberg: UnitedHealth Slumps As New Outlook Disappoints Yet Again
UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s bad year is getting even worse. The health-care conglomerate offered fresh profit guidance that was far below its early projections and below all analyst expectations. Executives also declined to explicitly affirm a long-term growth outlook that the company has pointed investors to for years, a sign that its challenges aren’t going away any time soon. The key problem facing UnitedHealth is it didn’t anticipate Americans would use medical care at the rate they did when setting premiums last year. (Tozzi, 7/29)
The Baltimore Sun: UnitedHealthcare, Johns Hopkins Medicine At Odds Over Health Insurance Contract
Doctors at Johns Hopkins Medicine hospitals and facilities could stop accepting insurance from national health insurance provider UnitedHealthcare in about a month if an agreement to maintain the health plan is not reached. Just under 60,000 patients on UnitedHealthcare plans see Hopkins providers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. (Mirabella, 7/29)
In other health industry developments —
Modern Healthcare: Humana Buyouts Offered To Some Employees Near Retirement
Humana is offering certain employees voluntary early retirement buyouts. Employees age 50 or older with at least three years of service are eligible for the program, although those working in certain business-critical areas will be ineligible, a company spokesperson said Tuesday. He said the window to apply for voluntary early retirement will be open for several weeks. The Louisville, Kentucky-based health insurer said the offers are part of ongoing evaluations Humana conducts to adjust staffing and drive organizational efficiency. (Eastabrook, 7/29)
Bloomberg: Novo Nordisk Picks Insider As CEO After Selloff From Wegovy Slump
Novo Nordisk A/S named its head of international operations as chief executive officer after slumping weight-loss drug sales led to a profit warning that wiped $93 billion off its market value. The Danish drugmaker promoted Maziar Mike Doustdar, who has spent more than three decades with the company, to the top spot. The surprise choice disappointed investors who were hoping for a high-profile outsider to lead a fresh challenge to Eli Lilly & Co., which has been pulling ahead of Novo in the obesity market. (Kresge, 7/29)
Bloomberg: P&G Open To Acquisitions In Consumer Health Care, CEO Says
Procter & Gamble Co. said it’s open to an acquisition in the consumer health care category, citing its successful purchase of a Merck business unit in 2018. “There are a couple of categories that we currently compete in where we might be interested in acquisitions if they offer an opportunity to significantly improve the growth rate and margin structure,” P&G Chief Executive Officer Jon Moeller told analysts during an earnings call on Tuesday. (Neumann, 7/29)
Modern Healthcare: Sword Health Launches AI Program To Streamline Admin Tasks
Sword Health, a virtual care and artificial intelligence company, has launched an AI program aimed at streamlining administrative tasks. Sword Intelligence offers several AI-powered tools designed to ease operational challenges in healthcare, including insurance enrollment, patient triage, coverage eligibility and outreach to high-risk members, the company said in a news release Tuesday. (DeSilva, 7/29)
Modern Healthcare: J-1 Visa Restrictions Push Phoenix Children's To Recruit Earlier
Health systems expect recruiting overseas clinicians and technicians to take longer and cost more over the next year as the federal government restricts immigration. President Donald Trump’s administration temporarily paused visa processing, increased visa information requests and banned travel from certain countries. These changes are expected to further bog down an already backlogged system, potentially reduce access to care and inflate administrative costs, hospital executives, lawyers and policy experts said. (Kacik, 7/29)
MedPage Today: Direct Primary Care Will Become Much More Popular Thanks To New Law, Experts Predict
A new provision related to direct primary care (DPC) in the recently enacted reconciliation bill will create more opportunities for physicians in small towns to open independent practices, Jeff Davenport, MD, of Edmonton, Oklahoma, said Tuesday. "What an opportunity for small-town America to have a doctor be able to practice in a model like this and have more expanded opportunities," Davenport said at an event sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians. (Frieden, 7/29)
Prasad Resigns From Top FDA Post Amid Fallout Over Sarepta Dispute
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/prasad-resigns-from-top-fda-post-amid-fallout-over-sarepta-dispute/
Prasad Resigns From Top FDA Post Amid Fallout Over Sarepta Dispute
As director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Dr. Vinay Prasad oversaw the regulation of vaccines and gene therapy drugs such as Sarepta Therapeutics' treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. During his brief tenure, Prasad limited the use of covid shots and amped up warnings about a rare cardiac side effect of the shots, The New York Times wrote.
The New York Times: Top F.D.A. Official Vinay Prasad Resigns Under Pressure
The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine and gene therapy official resigned on Tuesday after a public campaign against him led by the right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, according to people familiar with the matter. Over the past week, Ms. Loomer had taken to social media to attack the official, Dr. Vinay Prasad, for a series of decisions denying approval of new drugs for rare diseases. She highlighted past statements of support he had made for prominent figures on the political left, including Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont. Andrew Nixon, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesman, confirmed the resignation Tuesday evening. (Jewett, 7/29)
The Washington Post: FDA Pushes To Restrict Synthetic Opioid Derived From Kratom Lea
Health officials announced they will seek to add 7-OH — a potent substance synthesized from a compound in the kratom leaf — to the tier of controlled substances reserved for the most addictive drugs, such as heroin and LSD. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a news conference that the agency is not asking to restrict natural products made from kratom, which contains trace amount of the compound. In a report released Tuesday, the agency said it maintains concerns about kratom broadly but needed to act urgently on 7-OH because of its risk of sedation, nausea, breathing problems and addiction. “We think it’s night and day in terms of the public health risk,” Makary said of 7-OH products. (Ovalle and Cunningham, 7/29)
On the federal crackdown of gender-affirming care —
The Hill: FTC Eyes Probe Into Deceptive Practices Related To Gender-Affirming Care
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday launched a public inquiry into whether providers of gender-affirming health care are violating federal consumer protection laws. In a news release, the FTC said it opened the inquiry “to better understand how consumers may have been exposed to false or unsupported claims about ‘gender-affirming care’, especially as it relates to minors, and to gauge the harms consumers may be experiencing.” (Migdon, 7/29)
KFF Health News: Tribal Groups Assert Sovereignty As Feds Crack Down On Gender-Affirming Care
At the Two Spirit Conference in northern Nevada in June, Native Americans gathered in support of the LGBTQ+ community amid federal and state rollbacks of transgender protections and gender-affirming health care. “I want people to not kill themselves for who they are,” said organizer Myk Mendez, a trans and two-spirit citizen of the Fort Hall Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Idaho. “I want people to love their lives and grow old to tell their stories.” “Two-spirit” is used by Native Americans to describe a distinct gender outside of male or female. (Orozco Rodriguez, 7/30)
On climate and health —
CNN: EPA Proposes Revoking Pollution Limits Based In Part On Document Authored By 5 Climate Contrarians
In one of its most significant reversals on climate policy to-date, the Trump administration on Tuesday proposed to repeal a 2009 scientific finding that human-caused climate change endangers human health and safety, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced. If successful, the repeal could strip away the federal government’s most powerful way to control the country’s planet-warming pollution and fight climate change. The repeal was based in part on a hastily produced report — authored by five researchers who have spent years sowing doubt in the scientific consensus around climate change — that questions the severity of the impacts of climate change. (Nilsen and Freedman, 7/29)
Scientific American: Hurricane Forecasters Keep Crucial Satellite Data Online After Threatened Cuts
Satellite data that are useful for weather forecasting—and particularly crucial to monitoring hurricanes—will not be cut off by the Department of Defense at the end of the month as originally planned. The data, which provide an x-ray-like view of a hurricane’s internal structure, will remain accessible to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the satellites’ lifespans, a NOAA spokesperson confirmed in an e-mail to Scientific American. These data are particularly useful for monitoring storms at night, when visible satellite imagery is unavailable, and for catching rapid intensification—when a storm’s winds jump by at least 35 miles per hour in 24 hours. The faster forecasters note a storm is quickly ramping up in intensity, the faster they can warn people in harm’s way. (Thompson, 7/29)
On the immigration crisis —
KFF Health News: Immigrant Kids Detained In ‘Unsafe And Unsanitary’ Sites As Trump Team Seeks To End Protections
A child developed a rash after he was prevented from changing his underwear for four days. A little boy, bored and overcome with despair, began hitting himself in the head. A child with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was forced to go without his medication, despite his mother’s pleas. “I heard one officer say about us ‘they smell like sh–,’” one detained person recounted in a federal court filing. “And another officer responded, ‘They are sh–.’” (West, 7/30)
Monarez Confirmed As CDC Director
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/monarez-confirmed-as-cdc-director/
4. Monarez Confirmed As CDC Director
The Senate vote to approve Susan Monarez, who has served as the acting head of the CDC since January, was along party lines. Meanwhile, Stat reports that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could “imminently” overhaul the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
CBS News: Senate Confirms Susan Monarez As CDC Director. Here's What She's Said About Vaccines, Fluoride And More
The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday along party lines, 51 to 47, to confirm Susan Monarez as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monarez has been serving as the acting head of the CDC since January, and previously worked as the head of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. She was viewed as somewhat surprising pick for the CDC role because unlike most recent CDC directors, she holds a Ph.D. but is not a medical doctor. ... "If I'm confirmed as CDC director, I look forward to supporting the secretary with science and evidence, and making sure that I am giving him the best information possible," Monarez said at her confirmation hearing. (Moniuszko, 7/29)
On preventive services and vaccines —
Stat: RFK Jr. Could Remake Preventive Services Task Force 'Imminently'
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could “imminently” overhaul a key federal advisory panel that recommends which preventive services insurers must pay for, according to a person familiar with the plans. (Cirruzzo, 7/29)
NPR: Senators Introduce Resolution Supporting U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Two senators introduced a resolution Tuesday evening to preserve the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, following reports that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may soon fire its current members. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine and Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sponsored the resolution. (Huang, 7/29)
The Hill: Senate Democrats Probe Robert F. Kennedy Jr's Vaccine Panel Changes
Democrats on the Senate Health Committee launched an investigation on Tuesday into Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s firing of all members of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory panel. Led by ranking member Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who caucuses with Democrats, the lawmakers asked for detailed information about why Kennedy dismissed members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), who else was involved in the process, and how the new members were identified and vetted. (Weixel, 7/29)
On changes at the NIH —
The Washington Post: The New NIH Director Says He Wants To Avoid Politics
“I’m not a politician,” the new director of the National Institutes of Health, Jay Bhattacharya, insists. “I’m not going to get involved in the political fight over things.” But the great challenge facing the former Stanford University doctor and economist as he guides the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research is the fear for many that science and American politics have become intertwined as perhaps never before. (Johnson, 7/29)
Stat: He Was Censored At NIH. Now Kevin Hall Is Speaking Out
Kevin Hall can speak freely now. The leading U.S. authority on the science of ultra-processed foods made headlines this spring when he accused the Trump administration of censoring his work and opted to retire from his position at the National Institutes of Health. Without interference from D.C. to worry about, and with a forthcoming book, “Food Intelligence,” to promote, Hall is ready to speak candidly about his experiences with the leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement. (Todd, 7/30)
Bethesda Magazine: A Rockville Woman With Developmental Disabilities Was Laid Off From NIH After 30 Years. What’s Next For Her Is Uncertain.
When Andrea Geller got a job working in the mailroom at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda at age 21, she was ecstatic. For 31 years, the federal agency was her happy place. “I loved the mailroom, and I loved making friends and getting to talk to them every day,” Geller, 52, told Bethesda Today in a recent interview at her apartment in Rockville. But in April, she was one of thousands of NIH employees laid off by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. Geller has intellectual and developmental disabilities and is part of a program for disabled adults that allows her to enjoy some independence in apartment living while receiving assistance from counselors and medical professionals. (Bixby, 7/29)
On health data and the restoration of government websites —
Politico: The Trump Administration Wants To 'Kill The Clipboard'
Roughly 60 entities in the health care sector will pledge to making patient data more accessible and speeding its delivery among patients, clinicians and payers, according to an HHS employee granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive plans. The White House and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are expected to announce the commitments on Wednesday, Ruth reported last week. The agency hopes the commitments will stoke companies to make it easier for patients to import their data into an app of their choice, where they can manage their day-to-day health and easily share their history with doctors. (Reader and Paun, 7/29)
Medscape: Judge: Trump Must Restore Missing Health Websites and Data
The Trump administration has begun restoring health-related websites and datasets that it removed in January in order to comply with an order from a federal judge, who said that agencies such as the CDC unlawfully deleted treatment guidelines and other critical data that impaired doctors’ ability to care for patients. Federal agencies report that they now have restored 67 of the 212 webpages that plaintiffs included in their list, according to a court document filed on July 18. Those sites include pages about adolescent and school health, endometriosis, and health disparities among LGBTQ youth. (Szabo, 7/29)
On cuts to Medicaid and SNAP —
The Hill: States Sue HHS Over Trump Law Defunding Planned Parenthood
More than 20 states filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Health and Human Services, challenging a provision in President Trump’s enormous tax and spending package that bars certain health care nonprofits from receiving Medicaid reimbursements. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) includes a provision that bars health care nonprofits that provide abortions and received more than $800,000 in federal funding in 2023 from being able to get Medicaid reimbursements for one year. (O’Connell-Domenech, 7/29)
Stat: Budget Cuts Knock Down A ‘Pillar Of Public Health,’ Ending Nutrition Education
Sixteen children tumbled into nutritionist Kelsey Davis’s cooking class on a hot July morning, some hugging their counselors, some high-fiving the other 9- and 10-year-olds. Full of energy and opinions, they took their seats in the YMCA classroom in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, ready for another lesson. (Cooney, 7/30)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
July 24: Sam Whitehead read the week’s news: Affordable Care Act health plan will likely be more expensive next year, and work requirements for Medicaid recipients can be expensive and hard to navigate for enrollees. July 17: Sam Whitehead reads the week’s news: President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is threatening nursing home staff, and the country’s largest health insurers say they’ll simplify the process they use to decide whether to pay for doctor-ordered care. (Cook, 7/29)
martes, 29 de julio de 2025
Morning Briefing: Today's News Summaries Tuesday, Jul 29 2025 9:21 AM +++ +++
Morning Briefing: Today's News Summaries
Tuesday, Jul 29 2025 9:21 AM
Premiums For Medicare Part D Will Increase 'A Lot' After Trump Cuts
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/premiums-for-medicare-part-d-will-increase-a-lot-after-trump-cuts/
Medicaid Funding Restored To Planned Parenthood Clinics Nationwide
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/medicaid-funding-restored-to-planned-parenthood-clinics-nationwide/
NIH To Cut The Number Of Research Grants It Awards Due To Trump Policy
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/nih-to-cut-the-number-of-research-grants-it-awards-due-to-trump-policy/
HHS Chief Intends To Restructure Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/hhs-chief-intends-to-restructure-vaccine-injury-compensation-program/
Police Find Note From NYC Gunman About CTE: 'Study My Brain Please'
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/police-find-note-from-nyc-gunman-about-cte-study-my-brain-please/
FDA Set To Unveil Next Steps Against Dangerous Synthetic Kratom
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/fda-set-to-unveil-next-steps-against-dangerous-synthetic-kratom/
lunes, 28 de julio de 2025
Recent Changes in Treatment Patterns for Diagnosed or Treated Hypertension, 2018-19 to 2021-22
AHRQ Stats: Use of High Blood Pressure Medications and Medical Visits
In 2021–22, 74.5 percent of U.S. adults diagnosed with or treated for high blood pressure received medications for that condition, including 56.5 percent who also had medical visits for high blood pressure and 18.0 percent who received medications without any visits. (Source: AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #563, Recent Changes in Treatment Patterns for Diagnosed or Treated Hypertension, 2018–19 to 2021–22).
https://meps.ahrq.gov/data_stats/Pub_ProdResults_Details.jsp?pt=Statistical+Brief&opt=1&id=1317
Harborview Medical Center Uses AHRQ’s Quality Indicators To Improve Patient Safety
Harborview Medical Center Uses AHRQ’s Quality Indicators To Improve Patient Safety: Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, has improved patient safety across its facilities using AHRQ’s Quality Indicators (QIs) — standardized measures used to assess and monitor healthcare quality. A level 1 trauma center and safety net hospital, Harborview uses QIs to review adverse events and integrate new, safer processes into standard care. Since adopting QIs in 2011, the hospital has reduced the percentage of potentially preventable blood clots after surgery.
AHRQuality Indicators™
AHRQuality Indicators™: MissionThe Quality Indicators are measures of health care quality that use readily available hospital inpatient administrative data. AHRQ develops Quality Indicators to provide health care decisionmakers with tools to assess their data.Visit the AHRQuality Indicators™ Web site.
Harborview Medical Center in Seattle has improved patient safety across its facilities using AHRQ’s Quality Indicators (QIs)—standardized measures used to assess and monitor healthcare quality. A level 1 trauma center and safety net hospital, Harborview uses QIs to review adverse events and integrate new, safer processes into standard care. Specifically, the hospital makes use of Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs), a subset of QIs that target in-hospital safety issues—adverse events that were not present during patient admission. Information on cases identified through PSI reporting is shared with clinicians for review, and feedback and can be used to improve hospital practices.
Harborview uses PSI modules across its medical, surgery, inpatient rehabilitation, and behavioral health areas. The latter two areas are primarily concerned with PSIs for pressure ulcers and falls, while the bulk of the PSI efforts are geared toward evaluating and addressing patient safety in Harborview’s medical/surgery areas. According to clinical quality analyst Ellen Robinson, P.T., who oversees Harborview’s QI efforts, “Because we're a trauma center, our highest level of PSI was for venous thromboembolism, or blood clots, so we started by looking at those.” Since adopting QIs in 2011, the hospital has reduced the percentage of potentially preventable blood clots after surgery. Using QIs has also improved Harborview’s rating in the Patient Safety and Adverse Events Composite (PSI 90). Learn more in a new AHRQ impact story.
https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/case-studies/202504.html
Enhancing Maternal Safety Collaborations with Patient Safety Organizations
https://www.acog.org/education-and-events/webinars/enhancing-maternal-safety
Enhancing Maternal Safety: Collaborations With Patient Safety Organizations Webinar Recording Now Available
Enhancing Maternal Safety
Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) can help improve maternal safety by collecting and analyzing confidential data reported by healthcare providers. In a June 3 webinar hosted by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, presenters from AHRQ and Vizient highlighted how PSOs create a safe environment for healthcare providers to learn from mistakes without fear of punishment. Based on the data they collect, PSOs develop and offer effective strategies, including evidence-based resources and expert guidance, to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. They look at how medical teams work and what affects patient care, including clinical practices, workflows, and workplace culture. The presenters shared how these interventions and safety protocols have helped improve maternal safety and outcomes in healthcare settings. Access the recording and presenter materials from this session.
Presence of Children in Household Is Associated With Increased Health-Related Social Need Burden
https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsopenscience/article/1/1/1/200180/Presence-of-Children-in-Household-Is-Associated?autologincheck=redirected
Adults living with children report more health-related social needs, according to an AHRQ-supported study in Pediatrics Open Science. Researchers surveyed 1,252 adult primary care patients in Indianapolis from January 2022 to June 2023, including 326 (26 percent) with at least one child under 18 at home. They compared the number and types of reported social needs—such as financial strain, housing instability, and food insecurity—between adults with and without children, adjusting for factors like income, neighborhood deprivation, and comorbidities. Adults with children reported higher rates of housing instability (49.2 percent versus 40.7), food insecurity (53.7 percent versus 39.4), and financial strain (41.8 percent versus 35.0). The findings suggest that incorporating a simple question about the presence of children into screenings could help identify families at risk and connect them to supportive services.
Guideline-Concordant Antibiotic Use in Children With Community-Acquired Pneumonia
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40031991/
In more than 40 percent of cases, children admitted to the emergency department for community-acquired pneumonia received treatment outside of standard guidelines, according to an AHRQ-supported article in Hospital Pediatrics. The authors studied 772 patients aged 2 to 17 and compared antibiotic prescribing with standards set by the 2011 Infectious Diseases Society of America consensus guidelines. These standards allow treatment without antibiotics where possible and encourage the use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics instead of broad-spectrum drugs when antibiotics are necessary, unless prior narrow-spectrum treatment has failed. In the study, patients with symptoms visible on chest radiographs and those with viral sample testing that was negative or inconclusive were more likely to receive antibiotics. Among those who received antibiotics, those whose upper chest pulled in during breathing—a symptom known as “chest indrawing”—had 2.22 times greater odds of receiving treatment within guidelines, and those with clinically significant fluid buildup had 0.21 times lower odds. Access the abstract to learn more.
domingo, 27 de julio de 2025
Payment Systems Violate the Physics of Life: How ESRD Bundle Policies Disrupt Biological Order in Minority Communities Frita Fisher, MD, Nephrologist; Chad Worz, Pharm.D., BCGP, FASCP, Chief Executive Officer, The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists; Janice Desir, MD, MPH, CHCQM, Nephrologist and Physician Advisor; William Poirier, MBA, RN, Executive Director, Renal Healthcare Association | July 27, 2025
The health toll of economic sanctions The Lancet Global Health
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(25)00278-5/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email
Aug 2025
Volume 13Number 8e1327-e1488
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/vol13no8/PIIS2214-109X(25)X0008-5
TheLancet.com will undergo maintenance on Sunday July 27th, from approximately, 5.30am to 1.30pm US EST. During this time, some of the site functionality will be paused, we apologise for the inconvenience.
sábado, 26 de julio de 2025
Viewpoints: Medicaid Reform Will Be Disruptive And Ineffective; Are Zyn Pouches Helpful Or Harmful?
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/viewpoints-medicaid-reform-will-be-disruptive-and-ineffective-are-zyn-pouches-helpful-or-harmful/
Viewpoints: Medicaid Reform Will Be Disruptive And Ineffective; Are Zyn Pouches Helpful Or Harmful?
Opinion writers examine these public health issues.
Bloomberg: Republicans Missed A Shot At Serious Medicaid Reform
Every decade since the 1970s, Congress has tried and failed to reform Medicaid, the health entitlement for the poor. Republican lawmakers’ latest effort — as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — appears to be no different. Instead of addressing the program’s core deficiencies, the party instead fixated on shrinking it. The likely result? Needless disruption and little in the way of serious savings or reform. (7/24)
The Washington Post: Do Nicotine Pouches Have A Public Health Benefit? It’s Complicated.
Last week, I wrote about how easy-to-conceal nicotine pouches manufactured by tobacco companies are addicting youths to the drug, just as e-cigarettes did before them. Most readers I heard are concerned that the product is the latest cynical ploy by Big Tobacco to draw in a new generation of users. (Leana S. Wen, 7/24)
Stat: Trump Administration Must Endorse 2024 International Health Regulations
Last week, the Trump administration rejected the 2024 amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) — a global treaty that the United States has been a part of since 2007. The rejection cited concerns about sovereignty, scientific freedom, and World Health Organization overreach. (Stephanie Psaki, 7/24)
Modern Healthcare: How Value-Based Care Can Deliver Value—When Everyone Buys In
Value-based care is too often misunderstood — and sometimes even maligned. Recent surveys show patients sometimes associate the term with cheaper, lower-quality “knock-off” care. Some industry observers choose to put the term in quotation marks, signaling skepticism, while others contend that ACO, familiar shorthand for Accountable Care Organization, stands for “another consultant opportunity.” (Mara McDermott, 7/22)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Must Restore Critical Funding To Support Firefighters’ Mental Health
Every day, firefighters respond to sickness, trauma, tragedy and disaster. As a firefighter in Colorado, I have personally experienced and witnessed the toll this work takes on our mental health. But as of July 1, the program meant to support our emotional well‑being — the Colorado Firefighter Benefits Trust Behavioral Health Program, created in 2022 under Senate Bill 2 — was slashed from a $10,000 annual benefit per firefighter to a $1,000 lifetime cap. (Linda Crane, 7/24)
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