Practice Management
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory this week related to a significant increase in dengue fever cases in the United States, according to NBC News. There have been 2,241 reported cases across the country this year so far, compared to the recorded 3,036 cases from all of 2023. More than 1,498 dengue fever cases occurred in Puerto Rico, where a public health emergency was declared in March. Globally, the …
Read More
Drugmakers are developing new iterations of GLP-1 weight loss drugs that could result in fewer side effects. According to a news item in Becker’s Hospital Review, 27 GLP-1 drugs are in development, but the majority of the data is based on animal studies or early-stage human trials. In one example, researchers are optimistic about the experimental drug petrelinitide, which was shown to reduce body weight by an average of nearly 9% at 16 weeks. It …
Read More
At least two human cases of “dual mutant” strains of H1N1 influenza have been detected in Connecticut and Michigan, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Genetic changes are concerning because they could reduce the effectiveness of current antiviral treatments. Mutations of H1N1 appear to have 13-fold greater resistance to the flu treatment oseltamivir—the most commonly prescribed treatment for flu. An analysis of the new H1N1 flu viruses with …
Read More
Many Americans lack information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a new University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center survey shows. Just over half of survey respondents (54%) know that syphilis can be cured, however, 84% incorrectly believe that a vaccine is available. As many as 30% don’t know the signs and symptoms of syphilis, including sores, swollen lymph nodes, fever, etc., but 77% know that using a condom could protect them. The incorrect responses are …
Read More
More than 80% of consumers live or work within 15 minutes of an urgent care (UC) center, according to a national survey from healthcare communications firm Jarrard. Not at all surprising, nearly 40% of the survey respondents said the convenience of walking in was the top reason why they chose to go to UC instead of primary care for their most recent UC visit, followed by the convenience of getting an appointment in the expected …
Read More
One Medical is under fire for failing to prioritize some patients who had symptoms that should have received immediate attention. The crux of the problem is that the virtual and in-person primary care provider—now owned by Amazon as a result of a $3.9 billion deal from February 2023—routes patients to a call center that is staffed in part by contractors with limited training, according to the Washington Post. The news outlet cites leaked documents that …
Read More
New analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) indicates that nearly 18 million US adults have experienced long COVID. Data gathered through the agency’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey of more than 17,400 adults found 8,275 had a history of COVID-19, and 1,202 reported long-COVID symptoms. Women (8.6%) were more likely than men (5.1%) to report long COVID, and adults aged 35 to 64 were more affected than other age groups. White and …
Read More
Preliminary findings from ongoing testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that Americans have little to no pre-existing immunity to the H5N1 avian flu virus found on dairy and poultry farms. The CDC’s conclusions are based on blood samples collected from the 2021-2023 flu seasons. These samples showed low antibody levels against the H5N1 virus, suggesting minimal immunity. Despite this, the risk to the general public remains low, according to CDC, …
Read More
For most physicians, medicine is a calling, but for Roger Hicks, MD, FCUCM, and his daughter Marya Hicks, MD, medicine is also a team effort. As it turns out, both Roger and Marya care for patients at the same urgent care center. Patients arriving at the Dignity Health Medical Group Urgent Care of Sierra Nevada in Grass Valley, California, might not realize their care is delivered by a father-daughter duo. In a recent live interview …
Read More
During the 2022-2023 season, pediatric hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) doubled compared to the previous year. This information comes from a study in JAMA Network Open involving 700,000 children, examining RSV-related hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from July 1, 2017, to March 31, 2023. The hospitalization rate was 289.1 per 100,000 children in 2021-2022, which is consistent with the rates from 2017 to 2020. However in the following year, the 2022-2023 season …
Read More