The ACR and the AAHKS released a summary of their updated guideline for the Perioperative Management of Antirheumatic Medication in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases Undergoing Elective Total Hip or Total Knee Arthroplasty.
The Endocrine Society condemns the directive by Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordering the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to investigate any reported instances of Texas children receiving gender-affirming care as “child abuse.” This policy rejects evidence-based transgender medical care and will restrict access to care for teenagers experiencing gender incongruence or dysphoria.
A majority of Georgia residents strongly support new solar and wind power capacity over new coal-fired plants and believe the state should set a carbon emissions reduction goal, according to a new survey conducted for researchers at Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.
Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Reducing Hereditary Cancer Act, bipartisan legislation to expand access to medically-appropriate genetic testing to determine an individual’s risk of developing hereditary cancer—and access to evidence-based medical care to reduce risk for those who have a predisposing genetic mutation.
In a motion for summary judgement filed today, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and American College of Radiology (ACR) argue that the interim final rule (IFR) created by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) turned the balanced and fair reforms of Congress’s No Surprises Act upside down and transformed the act intended to protect patients and their physicians into a giveaway for private insurers.
Utah has consistently been recognized as one of the best U.S states for healthcare, but a bill circulating in the state’s legislature is threatening to compromise patients’ access to affordable, quality care. Senate Bill 121 will limit the availability of proven, cost-efficient anesthesia delivery in the state, according to Dan Bunker, CRNA, president of the Utah Association of Nurse Anesthetists (UANA).
On Feb. 2, 2022, the House Veterans Affairs Committee moved legislation forward to remove wage restrictions and increase recruitment opportunities for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in the Veterans Affairs health system.
Today, the American College of Surgeons issued the following comments in response to the February 2 release of the President’s Cancer Panel Report,“Closing Gaps in Cancer Screening: Connecting People, Communities, and Systems to Improve Equity and Access.”
Today President Joe Biden announced a relaunch of the White House Cancer Moonshot with a goal of cutting the cancer death rate in half within 25 years.
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued a statement from ASTRO Board of Directors Chair Laura A. Dawson, MD, FASTRO, in response to today's announcement that President Joe Biden will reignite the Cancer Moonshot initiative to accelerate the rate of progress in the nation's fight against cancer.
Leading organizations representing sports medicine, radiology, orthopedics, anesthesia and pain medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation have provided support for a position statement on the Recommended Musculoskeletal and Sports Ultrasound Terminology.
A new commentary in the inaugural issue of PLOS Climate by two researchers, including Stony Brook University’s Professor Kevin A. Reed, calls for developed nations to direct resources toward operationalizing extreme weather events and impact attribution.
Jan. 31, 2022 – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency took an important step towards reducing mercury and other toxic air pollutants in America’s air. The EPA released a proposed ruling stating that it is “necessary and appropriate” for them to require further reductions in mercury and air toxic emissions from industrial point sources of pollution in the U.S.
The American College of Surgeons recently released comments regarding elective surgery, particularly as it has been discussed and written about during the pandemic.
The Endocrine Society joined a coalition of physicians, scientists and public health and environmental organizations to send a formal petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), calling on the agency to rescind its approvals for bisphenol A (BPA) in adhesives and coatings and set strict limits on its use in plastics that contact food.
New York, NY – Jan. 26, 2022 –This week, 17 leading medical organizations and U.S. public health leaders submitted an amicus brief to the US Supreme Court in the case West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, urging the justices to affirm the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and have been proven to inflict major health problems.
The start of the new year often brings with it new state laws and regulations, including two that remove barriers to patient care for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in Alaska and South Dakota.
As health care organizations focused on respiratory health, our missions demand that we actively address those actions which could contribute to an increase in lung disease and risk to individual and community health. We collectively objected to and campaigned against the highly unethical and inappropriate takeover of an inhaled medicines company by a tobacco company. Despite our best efforts, we are terribly disappointed that shareholders, regulators, and the UK government allowed this acquisition to be approved. This is just the latest example of tobacco companies diversifying into health care and we are very concerned about the implications for patients, scientists, and doctors.
The Endocrine Society calls for policies to address racial and ethnic inequities in the endocrine workforce and in access to care, the Society said in a perspective published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
The Wyoming Society of Anesthesiologists (WYSOA) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) question and strongly oppose Gov. Mark Gordon’s request for input from Wyoming medical and nursing boards, as well as the Wyoming Department of Health, regarding “opting out” of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ physician supervision requirement in hospitals with 25 or fewer beds. This action would dismantle the anesthesia care team model in Wyoming and allow nurse anesthetists to administer anesthesia without physician supervision – something in clear opposition to what patients in Wyoming want.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA),the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) today brought a lawsuit against the federal government charging that the interim final rule (IFR) on surprise medical billing goes against the language of the “No Surprises Act” and will ultimately harm patients and access to care.
The California State University announced today that it will require faculty, staff and students who are accessing university facilities or programs to receive a vaccine booster shot in order to be fully immunized against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and in compliance with the university's COVID-19 vaccination policy.
The Endocrine Society urges the Senate to protect the insulin affordability provisions included in the Build Back Better Act and move quickly to pass this crucial legislation.
Healthcare providers, including Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), will continue to receive resources to care for some of the most vulnerable patients with President Biden signing the bipartisan Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act to postpone cuts to Medicare reimbursements for healthcare providers.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists commends the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association for filing their lawsuit, which challenges major flaws in the regulations implementing the “No Surprises Act” law. ASA is particularly pleased that two community anesthesiologists, who are ASA members, are lead individual plaintiffs.
American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) response to the Supporting Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act, which includes a provision to delay the start of the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model (RO Model): "While we are grateful for the delay, our focus remains on the reforms needed for the model to be successful. ... This delay creates a critical window of opportunity for Congress to address the RO Model’s flaws."
Rapid advances in biomarker research improve outcomes for people with cancer. National Comprehensive Cancer Network Patient Advocacy Summit looks at policy and practice solutions to increase equitable access for all.
A new report issued from the University of Illinois Chicago’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy analyzes how national and local policies related to health care, mental health care, housing, child care and education, and social assistance failed to meet the needs of Chicago’s Black and Latino residents and contributed to the health disparities in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
Today, the American Society of Anesthesiologists expressed grave concern about the strong-arm tactics of BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina and its abuse of the new federal law designed to protect patients from out-of-network bills. The letters being sent to anesthesiology and other physician practices in the state threaten contract termination and the physicians’ in-network status unless the physicians immediately agree to payment reductions ranging from 10 to over 30%. Implementation of the No Surprises Act is cited in the letters as the impetus for the reductions. The clear intent of the insurance company in taking this action is to improve its negotiating position against community physician practices in the dispute resolution process outlined in the recently released Interim Final Rule implementing the legislation.
Eight major radiology organizations are collaborating to form the Radiology Health Equity Coalition. The Coalition is developing concrete steps that individual radiologic professionals, practices and healthcare institutions can take to advance healthcare equity in radiology and beyond.
The Endocrine Society hailed the House of Representatives for including provisions to improve insulin affordability in its version of the Build Back Better Act.
Arguments over a complaint filed in the Circuit Court for the City of Norfolk, Virginia, were presented today to decide if patients of one of the world’s most published critical care physicians can be given lifesaving treatments for COVID-19 that a local hospital system has prohibited.
On World Pneumonia Day, Nov. 12, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American Thoracic Society is a founding member, calls for urgent and expedited progress to end the preventable burden of pneumonia.
This Veterans Day, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) thanks our nation’s veterans for their service and honors their sacrifices. The AANA also recognizes our military Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), who are the primary providers of anesthesia care in the U.S. military and often the sole providers of anesthesia in austere environments.
The new drug candidate, Paxlovid, significantly reduced hospitalization and death in adult patients, according to Pfizer, and will be submitted for an emergency use authorization in the United States. Data was taken at IMCA-CAT at the APS.
Wildlife scientists from research organisations across Australia, including from the University of Adelaide, have come together to call for urgent reforms to the management of Australia’s kangaroo populations.
The Surgical Care Coalition urges Congress to stop the harmful Medicare cuts that will take effect in less than two months and will limit patient access to needed care; Majority of the U.S. House supports stopping the cuts.
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued the following statement today in response to the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) final rules announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) has released a position statement on Principles for the Responsible Use of Regenerative Medicine in Sports Medicine.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics thanks U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.) and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) for championing legislative efforts to convene a national White House conference focused on food, nutrition, hunger and health.
New Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) position statement advises that pulmonologists who treat patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) explore palliative care resources available in their communities to facilitate early referral and better quality of life.
Eighty-five members of Congress have joined together to issue bipartisan, bicameral oversight letters that call on CMS to scale back severe cuts to radiation therapy reimbursement. Without action from CMS, radiation oncology will face estimated cuts of $300 million starting January 1, 2022, jeopardizing patient access to care.
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) expressed strong support for today's Senate introduction of bipartisan federal legislation that would rein in restrictive prior authorization practices that delay patient access to critical cancer treatments.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health crisis with an estimated 850 million affected individuals. The State of the Global Nephrology Workforce: A Joint ASN–ERA-EDTA–ISN Investigation addresses whether there are enough kidney doctors—or nephrologists available to care for the growing number of people around the world with CKD, and whether their training is adequate. The investigation was conducted by the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), European Renal Association (ERA), and International Society of Nephrology (ISN).
The members of the Critical Care Societies Collaborative, which includes the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, and Society of Critical Care Medicine, strongly urge individuals to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and to receive their influenza (flu) immunizations for the upcoming flu season.
Algorithms and analytics are now common used by professional sports, in sales forecasts, lending decisions and by car insurance providers. Managers and other decision makers no longer simply “go with their gut.” But doctors often remain reluctant to introduce such information when making medical decisions for patients. In an article published in Science, Helen Colby, an assistant professor of marketing at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis, and a co-author note that it is time for many doctors to stop relying on their use of mental shortcuts, usually called decision rules or heuristics, when making decisions about patient care with limited cognitive resources.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives worldwide, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Dru Riddle, PhD, DNP, CRNA, FAAN, is working to help ensure the international healthcare system develops strong, evidence-based health policy and delivery systems.
Oct. 13, 2021 – “The ATS reiterates our long-held position – e-cigarettes are not ‘safe’ and the claims that e-cigarettes are a harm reduction tool remain unproven. All e-cigarettes have significant health risks including nicotine addiction and respiratory disease,” said ATS President Lynn Schnapp, MD, ATSF.