The 21st Century Cures Act went into effect in 2021. Among other things, the federal law requires that patients have access to their test results in a timely manner. In years past patients often had to play phone tag with their doctor’s office to view their own medical records and lab test results. Before the 21st Century Cures Act, patients often never knew the results of tests if the doctor did not consider them noteworthy ..read more

Elon Musk: AI-powered sex robots aren’t far away from the U.S. market: “less than five years probably.” Disney has spent $270 million on Snow White ($450 million, if you include prints and advertising costs, according to Vulture), and it hopes everyone will ignore the movie. The federal work force has been rising. What are all those people doing? The greatest inequality is among the elderly, and the most important reason is differences in the amount people choose to save over their work life. Up until the 1980s it was widely believed that babies could not feel pain. So, doctors sub ..read more

How do consumers and patients avoid misinformation, self-serving information and information touting ineffective, barely effective and placebo-powered treatments ..read more

Oz promises to go after upcoding in Medicare Advantage plans.  (WSJ) However, there is more upcoding in traditional Medicare than there is in Medicare Advantage. The Economist: Foreign aid is doing more harm than good. The New York Times admits it was wrong on covid. Bill Frist: Microplastics are poisoning us ..read more

Why Trump pulled his CDC director nominee:  “One source described a meeting with Senate staff members where Weldon did not know the authorities of the CDC director and was not able to articulate his vision or priorities for the agency.” Weldon blames Pharma. (InsideHealthPolicy—gated) Is hospital sepsis screening worthwhile? Trump is doubling down on price transparency. Questionable claim from Health Affairs: Poor nutrition in the US causes more than 600,000 deaths and an estimated $1.1 trillion in health care spending ..read more

Telemedicine is a way to see a doctor remotely. As an aside, I wonder if the people complaining that they are just as productive working remotely from home are the same ones who only want to see a doctor in person. Just a thought. In any case telemedicine has several small problems. Talking to a doctor on the phone is impersonal. Taking over Zoom allows you to see a face but not much else. Seeing a hologram is different.  ..read more

Denmark’s system of no-fault medical malpractice. Many life-saving drugs fail for lack of funding. But there’s a solution: desperate rich people.  AAF: “Taken as a whole, the CR looks like a budgetary nothingburger, whose primary virtue is that it (hopefully) garners enough bipartisan support to avoid a pointless government shutdown.” Why did the two scientists in charge of approving Pfizer’s covid booster vaccine abruptly resign? What to know about the Critical Medicines Act ..read more

GAO: federal agencies improper payments from 2003 to 2024 total at least $2.8 trillion.  Doctor visits per person per year: the US is among the lowest among all developed countries. Also, no increase under Obamacare. How DEI is affecting who gets to practice medicine. Paragon Institute:  We estimate that the true amount of improper payments in Medicaid is twice as high as reported.” CBO: the10-year cost of a common Medicaid tax scam by state governments is more than $600 billion ..read more

Perhaps Theodore Roosevelt was right, “comparison is the thief of joy.” The quote is also variously attributed to Mark Twain, author C. S. Lewis, and religious figure Dwight Edwards. A recent article took aim at meritocracy. Yes, a group of philosophers argue meritocracy is a bad thing or at least it causes bad feelings. In a new book they explain, Western meritocracy traps people in emotions of envy, shame and fear ..read more

Yglesias on Social Security’s dead beneficiaries. The controversy behind the “shaken baby syndrome.” Why doesn’t Trump brag about his greatest health care success. Charles Hooper: There is nothing wrong with Red Dye No. 3 Singer: “CDC causes patients to endure needless pain and suffering.” 40% of Americans think Covid is still a threat ..read more