Organ Procurement Groups Come Up Short, Risk HHS Action
Tony Pugh, Bloomberg Law.
Forty-two percent, or 24, of the nation’s 56 organ procurement organizations were operating at the lowest-performing tier 3 level in 2021, according to a report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. That’s up from 16 tier 3 OPOs — 28% — in 2019, the report found.
Uptick of very rare brain infections in kids prompts CDC investigation
Alexander Tin, CBS News
The CDC first launched a probe into the issue early in 2022, after three children in California were hospitalized at the same time with rare brain complications – intracranial abscess, epidural empyema, and subdural empyema – of infections by the bacteria Streptococcus intermedius.
Over 1 in 5 skip health care due to transportation barriers
Adriel Bettelheim, Axios
More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults without access to a vehicle or public transportation missed or skipped a medical appointment in the previous year, according to a new study that sheds light on a key social driver of health equity.
What’s behind shortages of Adderall, Ozempic and other meds?
Tom Murphy, The Associated Press
Shortages of drugs like Adderall are growing in the United States, and experts see no clear path to resolving them. For patients, that can mean treatment delays, medication switches and other hassles filling a prescription.
Alzheimer’s patients may wait years for new treatments, putting them at risk of more severe disease
Spencer Kimball, CNBC
The U.S. health-care system is not currently prepared to meet the needs of an aging population in which a growing number of people will need to undergo evaluation for Alzheimer’s, according to neurologists, health policy experts and the companies developing the drugs.
New approach gets newborns with opioid withdrawal out of the hospital sooner and with less medication
Carma Hassan, CNN
Newborns in opioid withdrawal may experience upset stomach, inconsolable crying, seizures and extreme discomfort. The study looked at the impacts of the Eat, Sleep, Console care approach on 1,300 infants at 26 US hospitals, and compared them with the current standard for caring for infants exposed to opioids.
Researchers Identify Possible New Risk for Breast Cancer
Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times
Women’s breasts become less dense with age. Cancer may be more likely in breast tissue that is persistently denser over time, a new study suggests.
Republicans Push Transgender Restrictions in More States
Mitch Smith, The New York Times
Another batch of bills restricting medical treatment for gender transitions made their way through state legislatures this week.
A Teen Gender-Care Debate Is Spreading Across Europe
Frieda Klotz, The Atlantic
Doubts have now come to the Netherlands, where the most-contested interventions for children and adolescents were developed.
As Hospitals Close and Doctors Flee, Sudan’s Health Care System Is Collapsing
Lynsey Chutel, The New York Times
The medical professionals who remain face meager supplies and harrowing conditions, even setting up field hospitals in living rooms amid the fighting.
Two doctors struck by tragedy in Sudan: One dead, one fleeing for his life
Andrew Connelly, NPR News
The violence in Sudan has claimed the life of a beloved Sudanese American doctor. One of his colleague’s talks about Dr. Sulieman’s legacy — and the devastating toll of the fighting in Khartoum.
