What Happened, What You Missed: June 19-23, 2023
AMA Downplays Importance of BMI Physicians should deemphasize the use of body mass index (BMI) when assessing a patient’s health and obesity, according to a new policy statement from the American Medical Association (AMA). The policy was born from an AMA report that found BMI to be a flawed way to measure body fat in […]
What Happened, What You Missed: May 8-12, 2023
New Guidelines Call for Women to Get Mammograms at Age 40 Women should start getting mammograms to screen for breast cancer at the age of 40, according to new draft recommendations from the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF). While current guidelines recommend mammograms starting at age 50, a growing number of women at risk […]
What Happened, What You Missed: February 20-24, 2023
Multiple Problems Plague Primary Care in America Primary care across the nation is in a dire state, according to a new report from the Milbank Memorial Fund and the Physicians Foundation. Among the most concerning findings is an increase in the percentage of adults who don’t have a usual source of care, and the fact that too few […]
What Happened, What You Missed: November 14-18
CDC: Drug Overdose Deaths May Have Peaked Drug overdose deaths in the US have declined for the past three consecutive months, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC found that there were about 107,600 overdose deaths for the 12-month period between July 2021 and June 2022, which is 40 […]
What Happened, What You Missed: November 7-11
Voters Approve Medicaid Expansion, Medical Debt Reform, Flavored Tobacco Ban Voters in Tuesday’s midterm elections weighed in on several key health care questions in handful of states. In South Dakota, 56% of voters approved expanding Medicaid, which will allow 42,000 state residents to become eligible for Medicaid coverage. The vote makes South Dakota the seventh Republican-controlled […]
What Happened, What You Missed: October 17-21
White House Announces New Biodefense Plan On Tuesday, President Joe Biden unveiled a new National Defense Strategy that incorporates lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to help prepare for future public health emergencies. The strategy takes a whole-of-government approach to preventing pandemics, enhancing the response to pandemics, and improving laboratory safety. It also outlines several goals, including […]
What Happened, What You Missed: October 3-7
Gallup: Most Americans Have a Negative View of US Health Care About 44% of Americans give the US health care system a “D” or “F” grade, according to a new Gallup poll. The poll also found that over 75% assign a failing grade to health care costs in the US. Public opinion on health care quality […]
What Happened, What You Missed: September 12-16
Biden to Nominate Renee Wegrzyn as First ARPA-H Director The White House announced on Monday that President Joe Biden intends to nominate Dr. Renee Wegrzyn to be the inaugural director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Currently the vice president of business development at biotechnology company Ginkgo Bioworks, Wegrzyn was previously employed with the […]
What Happened, What You Missed: August 22-26
Updated Boosters Could Be Available in September The Biden administration is hoping to authorize updated COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer and Moderna shortly after Labor Day, according to news reports. Earlier this week, both Pfizer and Moderna submitted applications for emergency use authorization (EUA) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their bivalent vaccines, which target […]
What Happened, What You Missed: August 8-12
CDC Updates COVID-19 Guidelines People no longer need to stay at least six feet away from other people to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19, according to new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The revised guidelines represent a shift away from limiting the spread of the virus through more […]