Weight-Loss Drug Zepbound Faces Supply Issues
Another popular weight-loss drug is in short supply. Doses of tirzepatide (Zepbound) are few and far between, experts told MedPage Today, although the injectable has not been listed in the FDA Drug Shortage Database as of today. Another version of tirzepatide, for type 2 diabetes (Mounjaro), has been on the FDA shortage list since December […]
Medicare Debuts Another Primary Care-Focused Accountable Care Model
Medicare is trying again with another accountable care organization (ACO) payment model aimed at primary care doctors, but reactions to the new model are mixed so far. The voluntary model, known as ACO Primary Care Flex, would pay organizations that participate in Medicare’s Shared Savings Program a monthly fee that would be distributed to the […]
MedPAC Wrestles With How to Fix Deep Flaws in Medicare Advantage Quality Metrics
The methods used to compare quality between one Medicare Advantage (MA) plan and another are so seriously flawed that the system needs an overhaul, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) suggested last week. A commission review has determined the program “is costly and not a good basis for judging quality,” MedPAC principal policy […]
Another Scam Targets Wyoming Medicaid Clients – Wyoming Department of Health
Another Scam Targets Wyoming Medicaid Clients February 16, 2024 After hearing of another attempted scam targeted at Wyoming Medicaid clients, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is warning residents to be cautious with unexpected callers. “As an example, a client reported receiving a call from someone claiming to be from a department program that doesn’t […]
Another Scam Targets Wyoming Medicaid Clients – Wyoming Department of Health
Another Scam Targets Wyoming Medicaid Clients February 16, 2024 After hearing of another attempted scam targeted at Wyoming Medicaid clients, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is warning residents to be cautious with unexpected callers. “As an example, a client reported receiving a call from someone claiming to be from a department program that doesn’t […]
Five Companies Sign Agreement to Participate in National Health Data-Sharing Network
WASHINGTON — Five healthcare companies took another step toward becoming part of a nationwide network to exchange patient health information on Tuesday. “I feel like we’re watching the Big Bang occur in 2023,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said during an event held at HHS headquarters here. He congratulated “the entities who stepped up early to […]
What to Know About the ‘Eris’ Variant
There’s yet another new variant on the block — the so-called “Eris” variant — but it’s still an Omicron subvariant and researchers say there’s no reason to expect it to cause a surge of COVID-19. For the 2-week period ending August 5, the CDC variant proportions tracker projects that Eris, or EG.5, made up 17.3% […]
Another HIV Patient Possibly Cured With Stem Cell Transplant
BRISBANE, Australia — Another HIV patient has been off antiretroviral medication for 20 months without detectable HIV levels after he underwent stem cell transplant to treat cancer — but, unlike previous “cures,” this patient’s donor stem cells did not have the mutation that confers resistance to HIV. Dubbed the “Geneva patient,” the man was diagnosed […]
How COVID Lawsuits and Media Coverage Keep Misinformation Churning
Public health has had its day in court lately. And another day. And another day. Over the course of the pandemic, lawsuits came from every direction, questioning public health policies and hospitals’ authority. Petitioners argued for care to be provided in a different way, they questioned mandates on mask and vaccine use, and they attacked […]
Opinion | ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws Are a Greater Health Threat Than Mass Shootings
Another week, another series of mass shootings in America leaving two dozen dead in three states. Having spent my career on the frontlines as a trauma surgeon and gun violence prevention researcher, I want to highlight a recent report by the RAND Corporation. In it they concluded that stand-your-ground laws — which declare that people […]