Pre-COPD Current and Former Smokers Not in the Clear for Airway Disease
Whether they had respiratory symptoms or not, former and current smokers who didn’t meet criteria for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had similar declines in lung function and progression to COPD in subsequent years, the SPIROMICS II study found. Participants with symptomatic tobacco exposure and preserved spirometry (TEPS) experienced no significant difference in annual declines […]
Biden Picks Next CDC Director
On Friday, President Biden announced his intent to choose former top North Carolina health official Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, to lead the CDC. “Dr. Cohen is one of the nation’s top physicians and health leaders with experience leading large and complex organizations, and a proven track record protecting Americans’ health and safety,” Biden said in […]
Want to Fix Medicare Pay for Primary Care Docs? How About Two Fee Schedules?
How can Medicare payments to primary care doctors be fixed? Hoangmai Pham, MD, MPH, former official at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) during the Obama administration, has a few ideas. How about two separate fee schedules? “Rather than insisting that CMS govern fees for all physician services in one fee schedule, set […]
Stimwave Founder Arrested Over ‘Dummy’ Pain Implants, DOJ Says
The founder and former CEO of Stimwave was arrested and charged with creating and selling nerve stimulation devices with a non-functioning component that was implanted into chronic pain patients for profit, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. Laura Perryman’s alleged scheme, the DOJ said, resulted in the loss of millions of dollars for federal healthcare […]
NFL Concussion Symptoms Tied to Cognitive Function Decades Later
Former National Football League (NFL) players who experienced concussion symptoms during their playing careers performed worse on cognitive tests later in life, cross-sectional data showed. Retrospectively reported concussion symptoms were associated with worse performance on a battery of tests that assessed episodic memory, sustained attention, processing speed, and vocabulary nearly 30 years later, reported Laura […]
Opinion | What Jimmy Carter Reminds Us About Dying
The recent decision by former President Jimmy Carter to transition to hospice brings much-needed attention to this crucial part of healthcare. Hospice care is an essential and compassionate component of modern medicine, providing support and care to patients and families during the most challenging time of their lives. Historically, hospice care has been stigmatized as […]
Physician Wants Hospital CEO Pay Capped at $800K
A former physician at the MetroHealth System in Cleveland has called for a cap on CEO pay after the health system’s top executive allegedly awarded himself and others more than $2.2 million in unauthorized bonuses last year. Kenneth Frisof, MD, a retired family medicine doctor, wrote in a letter to the editor of Cleveland.com that […]
Cape Cod Cardiologist Sues Hospital, Alleging Retaliation for Whistleblowing
A long-time Cape Cod interventional cardiologist is suing his former hospital, alleging that he was retaliated against and defamed, and that the terms of his employment contract were breached, all as the result of sounding the alarm on profits being placed before patient care. Richard Zelman, MD, filed a complaint against Cape Cod Hospital and […]
Former ‘Blue’s Clues’ Host Steve Burns Says His Job Became ‘Impossible’
Advertisement The former host — who told child viewers that he was off to college in his last episode — told the publication that hair loss and not being “boyish anymore” contributed to his departure, before adding that depression made it difficult to be joyous on camera. “I didn’t know it yet, but I was […]
Danica Patrick’s Breast Implant Illness
Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, 40, told People magazine that she had her breast implants removed after experiencing breast implant illness. Patrick previously decided to get breast implants in 2014 in a quest to attain “an ideal body.” Things went well for the first 3 years; however, she then began to experience unexplained symptoms. Her […]