- ‘They’ve turned the dial up on denying preauthorizations’: CHS blames payers for volume drop
- ‘It buys patients time’: GLP-1s show early promise in addiction treatment
- Vermont hospital partners with OB-GYN group to sustain birthing services
- UPMC funds 3 startups at AI pitch competition
- RFK Jr. pressed on vaccines, CDC leader in Senate hearings: 4 things to know
- Cleveland Clinic’s plan to ‘flip’ the Medicare Advantage model
- North American Dental Group appoints vice president of education, development
- Hope dims for Trump’s surgeon general nominee: 4 details
- How women executives are rewriting healthcare leadership — 4 takeaways
- Highest-paid payer CEOs in 2025
- 3 female CFOs on moments that defined their careers
- 3 pillars shaping the future of pharmacy
- Maryland dental assistant sentenced for illegal opioid distribution
- Physician owner, practice to pay $415K for fraud allegations
- South Carolina bills looks to ban mail-order orthodontics
- What matters most in ASC design?
- Care New England rolls out Butler Behavioral Health brand
- Opening Remarks at the 32nd Annual International Institute for Securities Market Growth and Development
- What ASCs are getting wrong about the cardiology migration
- Grand Canyon University to add 6,000 to behavioral health pipeline
- AMA urges federal oversight of mental health chatbots
- Dental supplier lays off staff after large fire destroys business
- Recovery Unplugged expands virtual outpatient behavioral care to Pennsylvania
- 8 million Americans used psilocybin in past year: Study
- Heartland Dental to open Illinois office
- Northwell Health opens $20M multispecialty site
- Novant Health, Amae partner on Charlotte behavioral health expansion
- Cardiologist named CMO at MDVIP
- North Carolina proposes 47% dental Medicaid reimbursement increase
- Connecticut FQHC resumes dental services after yearlong pause
- 4 DSOs expanding in Florida
- Sanford Health adds 4 GI physicians
- Cardiology and GLP-1s: 5 things to know
- Washington dental practice suffers data breach
- OhioHealth shifts anesthesia delivery to cut emissions
- Florida children’s hospital rolls out sedation-free endoscopy
- Autism care provider closes New York Medicaid panels after rate cuts
- Amazon One Medical launches GLP-1 program integrated with primary care
- HIE participation lags in behavioral health facilities: 4 notes
- Gastroenterologist pay climbs to $530K
- CDC Report on COVID Vaccine Blocked From Publication
- Moderna Starts Large Bird Flu Study Despite Earlier HHS Funding Loss
- RFK Jr. continues congressional hearing appearances to talk White House budget plan
- RFK Jr. Won't Commit to CDC Nominee's Vaccine Decisions
- Pentagon Drops Flu Vaccine Requirement For U.S. Military
- AbbVie to establish NC production base with $1.4B investment, creating 730-plus jobs
- Zocdoc partners with Yelp to allow real-time scheduling
- CMS delays Part D GLP-1 model amid skepticism from insurers
- CMS delays Part D GLP-1 model amid skepticism from insurers
- Amneal seizes 'golden era' for biosims with $1.1B Kashiv buyout
- Samsung Biologics posts massive revenue growth as labor union rally sets strike in motion
- Bullying, Politics Harm Mental Health Of Gender-Diverse Teens
- Male Infertility Linked To Cancer Risk
- Video Game Training Sharpens ER Doctors’ Split-Second Decisions
- Hidden Belly Fat Linked to Bladder Control in Women
- Mind-Controlled Bionic Suit Lets Paralyzed Patients Feel Every Step
- Napping Linked To Higher Risk Of Death Among Seniors, Study Finds
- Merck goes with Google for AI push, striking enterprise partnership worth up to $1B
- Oak HC/FT backs Courier Health's $50M series B to build out AI for the biopharma patient experience
- Elevance Health seeing shift to bronze tier in ACA plans
- Novartis launches ‘Sjöut for Sjögren’s campaign, teams with Carrie Ann Inaba
- HHS agency launches $139.4M behavioral health research initiative
- Why independent dentistry is ready for a comeback
- Community Health Systems attributes Q1 volumes stumble to consumers' macroeconomic fears, payers' prior auth denials
- Children’s Activity Cubes Recalled Over Choking Hazard Risk
- Merck amps up presence in HIV treatment market with FDA nod for novel combo pill Idvynso
- 'Don't be a wimp,' Mark Cuban tells lawmakers hesitant to break up PBMs
- Study Finds AI Chatbots Can Give Misleading Health Advice
- Former Surgeon General Backs CDC Nominee, But Questions Remain on Vaccines
- Cantaloupes Recalled in Four States Due to Salmonella Risk
- Keynote Remarks at The Economic Club of Washington
- Merger to create nation's largest suicide prevention nonprofit
- Oz previews new plan to push states toward revalidating Medicaid providers
- Pfizer's strategy head Andrew Baum to step down following brief tenure: reports
- Covera Health, Medmo combine to create end-to-end diagnostic imaging platform
- The Oral GLP-1 Tracker: Following the launch trajectories of Lilly’s Foundayo, Novo’s Wegovy pill
- Service Dogs Perform Tasks Akin To Human Caregivers, Researchers Say
- A Third Of Young Adults Are Couch Potatoes, Their Parents Say
- Powerful Antibiotic Combo Not Necessary For Simple Sinus Infections, Study Shows
- Black Women Hit Hardest By Pandemic-Related Rise In Pregnancy-Related Deaths
- Smoking, Vaping Weed Increases Risk Of Asthma Attacks Among Young Adults, Study Finds
- Less-Dangerous Painkillers, Gabapentinoids, Still Have High Risk For Drug Interactions
- AstraZeneca eyes 5th Ultomiris indication after kidney disease trial win
- In a Merck Litespark shocker, Welireg triplet misses the mark in first-line kidney cancer
- UnitedHealth Group spotlights AI investments as part of operational turnaround
- ECRI spins out healthcare supply chain division into Staritas, backed by PE firm Accel-KKR
- UCB partners with Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America on meal program targeting nutrition deserts
- Replimune ramps up layoffs to cover 60% of workforce amid ongoing fallout of FDA rejection
- Statement on the Amendments to Form PF
- Update on the SEC’s Work Toward Treasury Clearing Implementation
- 'Hospitals adverse to transparency'—clashing industry groups spar on mulligan 340B rebate pilot
- Amperos Health secures $16M in series A funding, unveils AI-native denial management solution
- “PF” Stands for Please Fix: Statement on the Proposed Amendments to Form PF
- A look inside Highmark and Spring Health's mental well-being partnership
- CVS, Mass General Brigham primary care deal would increase annual care spending by $40M, report predicts
- Beyond Reporting: Realizing Continuous Safety Surveillance for Medical Devices
- Beyond Reporting: Realizing Continuous Safety Surveillance for Medical Devices
- Safeguarding Scientific Publishing from AI Hallucinations and Fabricated Citations
- Safeguarding Scientific Publishing from AI Hallucinations and Fabricated Citations
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- AIDS Relief Program Sees Drops in Testing and Diagnoses After Disruptions
- Baby Food Recalled After Rat Poison Discovered in Jar
- Report Finds Drug Prices Rising Despite Trump Pricing Deals
- Trump Backs Psychedelic Research
- Styker Adds IVL Technology to Peripheral Vascular Portfolio with Amplitude Acquisition
- Styker Adds IVL Technology to Peripheral Vascular Portfolio with Amplitude Acquisition
- Hippocratic AI rolls out 2 new tools aimed at expanding clinical access, improving nurse workflow
- In Connecticut, doctors now sue patients most over medical bills, surpassing hospitals
- Sanofi touts tolerability of COVID shot Nuvaxovid in head-to-head trial vs. Moderna's mNexspike
- Physician burnout falls for third year in 2025 to 42%, AMA data shows
- Naloxone's OD-Reversing Powers Challenged By Today's Opioids, Tests Show
- Extra Antibiotic Doesn't Reduce Infection Risk During Surgery To Fix Complex Fractures, Trial Finds
- Clinical Trial Suggests Two Simple Ways To Fight Chemo-Related Brain Fog
- E-Cigarette Taxes Won't Necessarily Cause An Increase In Smoking, Study Says
- Dreams Affect Your Morning Mood In Surprising Ways, Study Finds
- Weed Blunts Brain Development In Teens
- Genentech shifts Hemlibra marketing focus to patient stories as competition approaches
- Neurogene hires new CCO as it eyes commercial future for its Rett gene therapy
- Biovac nets $108M finance package to build Africa’s first fully integrated vaccine plant
- Bayer falls short in bid to block J&J’s survival claims in prostate cancer clash
- Biogen bullish on America with Durham Bulls team up
- AbbVie launches ‘PSO Done’ psoriasis campaign with cross-agency effort
- New Clues Explain Why Immunotherapy Fails in Pancreatic Cancer
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- New Weight Loss Research Questions Need for GLP-1 Drugs
- Trump Names CDC Director Pick
- FDA To Review Whether To Allow More Access To Certain Peptides
- Rising Colon Cancer Deaths Hit Younger Adults Without Degrees Hardest
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- The Healthccare Burnout Backlask (pt 4): Why Contract Negotiation Has Become a Core Strategic Skill for Healthcare Administrators
- Most People Would Take A Blood Test For Alzheimer's, Study Says
- This Sexually Transmitted Infection Linked To Heart Attack, Stroke
- How Playtime at Age 2, Especially with Parents, Shapes Teen Fitness Habits
- New Depression Treatment Matches ECT with Less Memory Loss, Study Says
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- AI simulates real-world HCP feedback on pharma content
- Agile partnerships drive faster pharma innovation
- FDA Reminds More Than 2,200 Sponsors and Researchers to Disclose Trial Results
- FDA Reminds More Than 2,200 Sponsors and Researchers to Disclose Trial Results
- Freedom of Associations
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- Roche’s Enspryng cuts relapse risk by 68% in rare neuroinflammatory disease
- Staff Statement Regarding Broker-Dealer Registration of Certain User Interfaces Utilized to Prepare Transactions in Crypto Asset Securities
- Statement Regarding Staff No-Action Letter to Bank of England
- The Healthcare Burnout Backlash (pt 3): How Workflow Redesign Is Helping Healthcare Organizations Offset Staffing Shortages
From MedPage Today's Morning Break, infectious disease edition, today's healthcare headlines (selected).
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/uritheflu/112878
The Nation looked at the future of public health under a second Trump administration.
And the New York Times examined what Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s ideas about the FDA might mean for raw milk, stem cell therapies, and more.
One of the top targets to be restructured in the next Trump administration may be the NIH, where Kennedy said he would seek to immediately replace 600 employees. (NPR)
The family of a security guard who was shot and killed at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, sued the hospital for $35 million, accusing it of negligence. (AP)
A Chicago news investigation found that 88 Illinois hospitals failed to properly treat sexual assault victims. (NBC Chicago)
Congress faces pressure during the lame duck period to reform the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry. (The Hill)
In Idaho, women suing the state over its abortion ban say they became "medical refugees," forced to leave the state to seek care. (AP)
Meanwhile, a woman in Kentucky seeking an abortion is suing the state over its near-total ban. (The Hill)
Maryland is training more health workers to administer medication abortion pills, procedural abortions, and highly effective birth control methods. (KFF Health News)
Experts warned about the "chilling" effect of the Texas attorney general suing doctors over gender-affirming care. (Salon)
University of Colorado Health agreed to pay $23 million to resolve allegations that it fraudulently billed for emergency department care, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Also, the DOJ filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block UnitedHealth Group's proposed $3.3 billion acquisition of home health and hospice provider Amedisys.
Finally, a Florida ophthalmology practice agreed to pay $1.3 million to resolve allegations of fraudulent claims for cranial ultrasounds, the DOJ said.
KFF Health News sued the HHS Office of Inspector General to force it to release Medicare Advantage health plan audits and other data.
Same source, today's edition, selected headlines.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/fdageneral/112921
FDA staff members are considering leaving after president-elect Donald Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS Secretary. (NBC News)
Military suicides among active-duty personnel increased in 2023, continuing a trend. (Military.com)
Trump nominated veteran and former Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Politico)
Market concentration among health insurers increased from 2011 to 2022, a U.S. Government Accountability Office report found.
Meanwhile, more than 3 million Americans are at risk of losing their health insurance at the end of 2025 if Congress does not renew Affordable Care Act subsidies. (Newsweek)
A federal appeals court ruled that an Indiana law banning gender-affirming care for minors should remain in effect. (The Hill)
Dual perspectives today.
First, selections from MedPage's Washington Watch:
https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/washington-watch/112987
Some healthcare advocacy groups launched a "Stop RFK War Room" to fight Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination for HHS Secretary. (Politico)
Meanwhile, Robert Redfield, MD, the former CDC director in President-elect Donald Trump's first administration, gave a vote of confidence to Kennedy. (The Hill)
Trump's allies and advisers are discussing possible overhauls to federal safety net programs like Medicaid and food stamps. (Washington Post)
Social media users heeded Elon Musk's call to upload personal health data like MRIs and CT scans to train X's artificial intelligence chatbot, worrying privacy experts. (New York Times)
What's behind the rise in sexual and other violent assaults at hospitals? (NBC News)
Next, Daily Signal's title says it all. I've clipped the health policy portion.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/11/18/4-woke-bureaucrats-americans-want-trump-fire-second-term/?
DRAIN THE SWAMP: 4 Woke Bureaucrats Trump Should Fire First
<clip>Few bureaucrats exemplify the dangers of transgender orthodoxy more than Rachel Levine, assistant secretary of health at the Department of Health and Human Services.
A male who identifies as female, Levine has admitted that he is glad he didn’t “transition” until later in life because otherwise he would not have had the joys of fatherhood. Yet he boldly advocates for “treatments” that will remove the later possibility of parenthood from young boys and girls who are confused about their gender in the here and now.
Levine has even enlisted doctors to preach the virtues of gender ideology, as if good doctors should be “ambassadors” for the idea that it is healthy for gender-confused children to take drugs that will stunt their growth and make them resemble members of the opposite sex.
In November 2020, the Victory Institute, an LGBTQ activist group, partnered with the prominent LGBTQ activist group the Human Rights Campaign and others to compile a list of qualified candidates for federal positions who identify as LGBTQ. Levine featured prominently on that list.
On the same day, the Human Rights Campaign released a “Blueprint for Positive Change,” recommending specific policies for Biden to implement. According to my analysis, Biden implemented more than 75% of those recommendations.
The Human Rights Campaign acts as a kind of LGBTQ mafia, blackmailing companies into supporting its causes by publishing a “Corporate Equality Score” that investors in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) movement use to rate firms. The HRC has used this clout to achieve policy wins in the Biden administration, and Trump will likely reverse many of those policies.
Among many other things, HRC urged Biden to hire more LGBTQ people in his administration—likely leading the bureaucracy to hire less qualified staff in order to reach a woke quota.
Levine’s transgender identity made him extremely visible in the administration, and his advocacy for “gender-affirming care” should make him persona non grata in the next administration.
These bureaucrats support woke policies and will work to undermine Trump from within if he does not root them out.
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