Practice Management
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week sent an alert to providers concerning the ongoing measles outbreak. While the risk to the general population currently remains low, the agency reminded stakeholders that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best way for patients to protect themselves against the disease. At least 3 unvaccinated people have died from measles, and cases have grown to more than 600 as of April 4. …
Read More
The particularly harsh 2024-2025 flu season is now in its seventh week of declining cases, according to fresh Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updates. Even so, activity has remained high for 18 weeks and counting, and the season is expected to linger on for several more weeks, says CDC. Pediatric deaths now number 168 for the season. The percentage of outpatient visits has been highest among those aged 0 to 4 years, followed …
Read More
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the Visby Medical Women’s Sexual Health Test, the first at-home test for diagnosing 3 sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in females: chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis. The hope is that the option will increase the use of testing and thus help prevent transmission of these STIs. No prescription is required, and the test can be used for those with or without symptoms. Each single-use test kit includes a self-collected …
Read More
The surging measles outbreak—now spanning 18 states as of March 20—may continue for about a year, according to health experts in a CNN report. Weekly totals reached 378 confirmed cases nationwide. By comparison, the 2024 total case count for the entire year was 285. Although 95% of the current cases are in patients who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status, a few were reported in people who say they had at least 1 dose …
Read More
Americans’ self-reported mental and physical health has declined over the past decade with a sharper drop after the COVID-19 pandemic. In Gallup’s latest survey, 75% of Americans rate their mental health as “excellent” or “good,” and 76% similarly rate their physical health in this way—down from highs of 89% for mental health in 2012 and 82% for physical health in 2003. The percentage of poll respondents rating their health with the top score of “excellent” …
Read More
The measles outbreak in Texas is spreading, just as many public health officials had anticipated, and now many parents—who had previously opted out—are making appointments for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines for their children, according to local health officials speaking to NBC. A mobile unit stationed outside of emergency departments in the affected areas is currently offering measles testing and vaccines. Kids who were previously unvaccinated accounted for about half of the MMR shots provided at the …
Read More
Compounding pharmacies and telehealth companies will ultimately need to stop producing their versions of semaglutide following the resolution of the short-term shortage of the manufacturer’s original brand drug product. Compounding pharmacies were previously allowed to create generic versions of the diabetes and weight loss drug due to supply issues, but with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now declaring the shortage over, production and sales must cease by April 22 for pharmacies and May 22 …
Read More
American Family Care announced its acquisition of 5 Physician One Urgent Care locations in the Boston area this week. The deal brings AFC’s total rooftops to 35 operating in Massachusetts and more than 400 across the United States. Meanwhile, the company has also added recent de novo sites with more in the pipeline. AFC has been backed by Lorient Capital since March 2024, and its clinical teams treat 4 million patients each year. Earlier this …
Read More
Several Florida hospitals are suing UnitedHealthcare claiming the mega-insurer systematically underpays for emergency services. The 17 hospitals involved in the suit allege that the insurer failed to pay them the reimbursement rate required by Florida law, as reported by WKMG. The claims at issue in the argument involve only Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace exchange products. Last September, University of Florida Health and UnitedHealthcare parted ways after those network contract negotiations failed. It’s a …
Read More
A measles outbreak in Texas grew to 58 cases over the course of about a month as of February 18, 2025, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The first 2 cases were detected in January. As of this week, the vast majority of cases were reported in Gaines County. All but 4 cases involve either unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status, according to the department, and confirmed cases are primarily …
Read More