The CDC issued a health advisory July 12 telling clinicians to keep an eye out for parechovirus, or PeV, in newborns and young infants.

"Clinicians are encouraged to include PeV in the differential diagnoses of infants presenting with fever, sepsis-like syndrome, or neurologic illness (seizures, meningitis) without another known cause and to test for PeV in children with signs and symptoms compatible with PeV infection," the CDC said.

On the heels of the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, where the right to safe and legal abortion was taken away, President Biden and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra called on HHS agencies to take action to protect access to sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, pregnancy complications, and other related care. Today, in direct response, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued new guidance to help protect patients seeking reproductive health care, as well as their providers.

The Department of Justice today announced criminal charges against 36 defendants in 13 federal districts across the United States for more than $1.2 billion in alleged fraudulent telemedicine, cardiovascular and cancer genetic testing, and durable medical equipment (DME) schemes.

The nationwide coordinated law enforcement action includes criminal charges against a telemedicine company executive, owners and executives of clinical laboratories, durable medical equipment companies, marketing organizations, and medical professionals.

Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Center for Program Integrity (CPI) announced today that it took adverse administrative actions against 52 providers involved in similar schemes. In connection with the enforcement action, the department seized over $8 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other fraud proceeds.

Amazon plans to acquire virtual and in-person primary care company One Medical, the online retailer said July 21.

In a cash deal valued at $3.9 billion, the aim is to combine One Medical's technology and team with Amazon, it said in a news release. The goal of the acquisition, according to the two companies, is to offer more convenient and affordable healthcare in-person and virtually.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers about the potential risk of injury associated with the use of certain brands of ultraviolet (UV) wands. Do not use these UV wands for disinfection because they may expose the user or any nearby person to unsafe levels of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation and may cause injury to the skin, eyes, or both after a few seconds of use.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is touting its proposed 2023 Medicare physician payment schedule as a significant expansion of access to behavioral health services and cancer screening.

To print a poster for fentanyl substance abuse prevention provided by the Florida Department of Health, click here.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by a dysfunctional immune response and abnormal blood rheology that contribute to endothelial dysfunction and thrombotic complications. Whole blood viscosity (WBV) is a clinically validated measure of blood rheology and an established predictor of cardiovascular risk. We hypothesize that increased WBV is associated with mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

The most famous scientist in America is facing retirement.

After more than five decades of federal service under seven presidents, Anthony Fauci says he’s leaving by the end of President Joe Biden’s term. In a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO, he spoke of his legacy, the hard truths about the country’s pandemic response and his desire to calm the politicization wracking the country.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 trials involving 1586 participants, 7 studies comprising 802 total patients evaluated the primary outcome of change in 100-point vertigo visual analog scale scores at approximately 2 hours after treatment with an antihistamine or benzodiazepine. Antihistamines resulted in greater patient improvement than benzodiazepines (difference, 16.1) but were not superior to other active comparators, including ondansetron, droperidol, metoclopramide, and piracetam.

The incidence and prevalence of SLE are increasing in this US population. The increase in incidence may be at least partially explained by the rising ethnic/racial diversity of the population. There was no evidence that the severity of SLE has changed over time. The survival gap between SLE and the general population remains unchanged. As the US population grows more diverse, we might continue to see an increase in the incidence of SLE.

CMS has released its Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule for 2023, which would raise Medicare outpatient payment rates next year.

While many physicians are flocking to the security of employed models, others are finding that large practice groups can give physicians access to economies of scale without sacrificing autonomy.

Michael Boblitz, CEO of Tallahassee (Fla.) Orthopedic Clinic, joined Becker's to discuss why physicians are looking to large orthopedic groups as an alternative to employment.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, commonly known as CMS, requires physician supervision of certain services as a condition for reimbursement. The required supervision level depends on the type of service performed, the setting where the service is performed and the physical location of where the service is performed. Adhering to the proper protocol is critical, as services furnished without the required level of physician supervision are not reimbursable by Medicare and may potentially have even more significant consequences, including civil and criminal penalties.

Medicare and Medicaid fraud are extremely serious legal problems in the United States, and the federal government treats them as such. In 2019, the rate of fraudulent improper Medicare payments was 7.25% of all claims, resulting in $28.91 billion in improper payments. For fraudulent Medicaid payments, they were 14.90% of claims and $57.36 billion in improper payments.

New lead pipes were banned at the federal level in 1986, and states came into compliance in the three years following. Water utilities have never been required to thoroughly inventory their lead pipes before a crisis. And only in rare instances are they required to replace them under the EPA's lead and copper rule.

Marburg virus killed two men in Ghana in June, touching off the West African nation’s first confirmed outbreak of the highly virulent disease. From the same family as the Ebola virus, Marburg caused occasional outbreaks and sporadic cases mostly in Central and Southern Africa until Guinea, in West Africa, confirmed a single, lethal case in August 2021. The latest deaths show once again how a pathogen found in fruit bats can cross the species barrier to infect humans and risk touching off a deadly scourge.

French health authorities say they have confirmed a link between nitrates added to processed meat and colon cancer, dealing a blow to the country’s prized ham and cured sausage industry.

Does your workday start before dawn and end well after dusk? Do you go to bed tired and wake up the same way? Maybe it’s time you talk to someone who can help you make positive changes for a healthier, happier life and lifestyle. The CMS has six professional counselors who are available to you - free of charge - free of worry. This program remains one of the few in the state that serves all local practicing physicians, and now, also TMH Residents, without cost, without question. Six sessions annually are completely confidential and autonomous. 

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