Internal Medicine News

• United Wants to Charge You for ER Visits It Disagrees With The nation's largest health insurer says it still plans to stop paying for ER visits it decides are unnecessary.
  WebMD Health News, June 17, 2021
• Emerging Schizophrenia Drugs Target Negative Symptoms Late-stage trials of several new antipsychotic drugs are showing promise in the control of negative symptoms, which represents "a major unmet need in schizophrenia," experts say.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021
• Many Small Vaccine Clinics Helped Vermont Reach 80% Goal Seven might not sound like much, but when small numbers are multiplied by the scores or hundreds of opportunities across the state, they added up to thousands of people protected against COVID-19.
  Associated Press, June 17, 2021
• Doctors' Offices Preferred COVID Vaccine Sites for Unvaccinated A new survey finds that vaccine-hesitant patients, by a wide margin, would like to get shots from their personal physicians; racial attitudes toward vaccination vary.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021
• Potential First-in-Class, Targeted Therapy for Myasthenia Gravis Efgartigimod is linked to clinically meaningful improvements in strength and quality of life in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis, the phase 3 ADAPT trial shows.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021
• As COVID-19 Crisis Ebbs, Some Seeking 9/11-Style Commission It is unclear whether such a probe will ever happen, though a privately sponsored team of public health experts is already laying the groundwork for one.
  Associated Press, June 17, 2021
• Blood Lipid Control Inadequate in PAD Patients Lipid-lowering therapy remains underused and LDL-C is poorly controlled in many patients with peripheral artery disease, a new study shows.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021
• Stroke Risk in New-Onset AF Goes Up With Greater Alcohol Intake That increasing risk, which is independent of oral anticoagulation, may attenuate or disappear in patients who give up drinking after their AF diagnosis, researchers propose.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021
• New AMA President Discusses Pandemic During Inaugural Address Gerald E. Harmon, MD, a physician in South Carolina, whose patients sometimes leave produce in the back of his pickup, has practiced medicine on military deployments and 15-hour shifts in the pandemic.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021
• Black Community Has New Option for Healthcare: The Church Some church leaders want to extend their efforts beyond the fight against COVID-19 and give their flocks a place to seek health care for other ailments at a place they trust — the church.
  Associated Press, June 17, 2021
• New Program to Develop Antivirals for COVID-19 The Antiviral Program for Pandemics will allow the NIH to focus on antivirals for COVID-19 and other pandemic risks, including hemorrhagic fever and influenza, the way HIV and hepatitis C can be managed.
  WebMD Health News, June 17, 2021
• Device Makers Have Funneled Billions to Orthopedic Surgeons Every year, a torrent of cash and other compensation flows to these surgeons from manufacturers of hardware for spinal implants, artificial knees, and hip joints, an analysis of government data shows.
  Kaiser Health News, June 17, 2021
• Alert Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act The court voted 7-2 to block the GOP-led suit saying the plaintiffs did not have the right to bring the case. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito were the lone dissenters.
  WebMD Health News, June 17, 2021
• Medicare Rule Changes Allow for Broader CGM Use Two big changes include elimination of the four-daily fingerstick requirement and multiple daily injections, providing a pathway for more people to quality for a CGM device.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021
• ASMBS 2021 Bariatric Surgery Cuts Insulin Needs in T1D With Obesity Patients with type 1 diabetes and obesity who underwent bariatric surgery saw their daily insulin needs nearly halved.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021
• ACLU Asks Judge to Block Arkansas Trans Youth Treatment Ban The ban is forcing some families of transgender youth to move out of state to continue their children's treatments, if they can afford to do so, the filing contends.
  Associated Press, June 17, 2021
• Ducey Blocks ASU Policy Requiring Masks for Unvaccinated Gov Ducey issued an executive order saying students at the state's public universities and community colleges can't be required to get the vaccine, submit vaccination documents, be tested or forced to wear masks.
  Associated Press, June 17, 2021
• DIY Neuromodulation a Mood Booster for Sleep Deprived? Noninvasive vagal nerve stimulation appears to boost mood and cognitive performance in sleep-deprived individuals, suggesting a potential new application for the technology.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021
• Delta Variant Doubles Hospitalisation Risk, Infection Rates Declining in Europe: COVID-19 Global Weekly Highlights These are the global coronavirus stories you need to know about this week.
  Medscape News UK, June 17, 2021
• Low-Dose Nitrous Oxide Shows Benefit for Resistant Depression A single treatment of inhaled nitrous oxide appears to improve symptoms for patients with resistant depression, with benefits lasting up to several weeks.
  Medscape Medical News, June 17, 2021