Top 10: October 2022November 09, 2022 | Top 10 Neurology Dementia Signs Emerge Up to 9 Years Before Diagnoses The findings point to the possibility of very early detection of dementias, when recruitment into preventive trials, drug trials, and implementation of preventive strategies to slow the disease have the most impact. Read full article All Specialties Mayo Warns It Won’t Take Most Medicare Advantage Plans All eligible Medicare beneficiaries who received treatment at Mayo facilities in Arizona and Florida over the previous three years were sent letters this past fall urging them to sign up for original Medicare and a supplement. When asked about the purpose of the letters, Kevin Punsky, the Mayo communications manager, said that they are meant to act as “a courtesy reminder” at the start of the annual Medicare re-enrollment window, which started on October 15. Read full article Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism A Deeper Look at Hollywood’s Newest Weight Loss Drug Shortages of GLP-1 agonists are being driven by the number of Americans being overweight and the hype from Hollywood on the drug. But these aren’t the best choice for everyone seeking to lose weight. Read full article Allergy & Immunology Uptick in COVID-Related Blood Clots: Is It Real? In the US, reports of COVID-related clots have declined. But social media posts in the UK indicate a rise there – and typically what the UK reports is a harbinger of what is coming to the US. Read full article All Specialties CMS Puts the Kibosh on Misleading Medicare Advantage Sales Pitches In a three-page letter, Kathryn A. Coleman, director of the agency’s Medicare Drug and Health Plan Contract Administration Group, stated that CMS is immediately stepping up its examination of marketing materials, which are required to be submitted in accordance with its legal “File and Use” authority for Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans, and “may exercise its authority to prohibit” their use. As of right now, Medicare Advantage marketing materials are allowed to go live five days after being submitted, as long as the company submitting them “certifies the material complies with all applicable standards.” Starting January 1, 2023, however, no television advertisements will be eligible for submission under its “File and Use” authority, meaning that the advertisements will not air until CMS approves them. Read full article All Specialties Healthcare Workers Unhappy with New CDC Mask Guidance The new guidelines have drawn criticism and many or most hospitals are sticking to state guidelines, which generally mandate masking. Megan Ranney, MD, MPH, of Brown University tweeted that CDC’s logic “escapes me,” as it pertains to society’s “most health-vulnerable” people in a setting with a higher-than-average risk of COVID positivity. Read full article All Specialties 2024’s Most and Least Burned Out Physicians By Specialty Emergency medicine tops the burnout list again in 2024, with 63% of physicians reporting burnout, while plastic surgery reports the lowest at 37%. Read full article Family Medicine/General Practice Effect of Colonoscopy Screening on Risks of Colorectal Cancer and Related Death In this randomized trial from Poland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the study population of approximately 85,000 individuals were randomly assigned to colonoscopy screening or usual care. The risk of colorectal cancer at 10 years was 18% lower in the screening cohort. Read full article All Specialties The 20 Best US Medical Schools for Primary Care, According to US News To be ranked, medical schools must have received their full accreditation. For its most recent report, US News polled 192 medical and osteopathic schools. The following are the primary care ranking indicators: Faculty resources determined by the faculty-to-student ratio Academic qualifications of entering students, which are evaluated using the MCAT score, median undergraduate GPA, and institution acceptance rate Research activity is taken into account, including both overall federal research activity and average federal research per faculty member Primary care production is calculated as the proportion of graduates who were engaged in primary care practice as of 2021, as well as the proportion of MD and DO graduates who enrolled in primary care residencies Read full article Allergy & Immunology Breakthrough Monkeypox Cases Seen Weeks After Second Jynneos Dose Aniruddha Hazra, MD, of Howard Brown Health in Chicago, and colleagues found that of 90 people who tested positive for monkeypox following a single dose of Jynneos, 77% of the cases happened within 14 days of the first dose and 14% occurred within 14-28 days of the first dose. Five positive tests were returned following a second dose of the modified vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) vaccine in the eight cases that occurred 28 days after vaccine initiation. Read full article
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