2025

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Opinion: Herding cats: It’s past time to include pets in disease surveillance

STAT

As veterinarians, flu scientists, and biosecurity experts, we have watched with growing concern the rise in H5N1 avian influenza in cats. Since 2022, more than 100 domesticated cats in the United States have had confirmed infections — some house pets, some barn cats, some feral — with high mortality, although mortality data remain undocumented on federal sites.

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CDC division responsible for asthma control and lead poisoning prevention effectively eliminated

STAT

After Hurricane Ian, as Floridians returned home to sodden furniture and moldy piles of debris, many with asthma could feel their chests tightening. To figure out what was safe, some sent their concerns directly to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  But on Tuesday — days before floods ravaged Nashville, potentially prompting similar queries — the people who would normally answer such asthma questions stopped working.

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Opinion: I’m a dentist from India. The fluoride debate in the U.S. horrifies me

STAT

Florida has just banned fluoride in public water , becoming the second state to do so. It’s part of decadeslong battle that has heated up in recent years. Local governments debate whether it belongs in the water supply. Parents question safety. Pseudoscience clouds public perception. Often, the conversation is framed as a domestic ideological battle between personal liberty and public health mandates.

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New FDA framework on Covid vaccines leaves pediatricians confused and concerned

STAT

A new framework for Covid-19 vaccines announced by Food and Drug Administration leaders Tuesday suggests the agency will no longer approve new Covid vaccines for healthy individuals under 65, including babies, without data from new randomized clinical trials showing their benefit.  The plan — described in a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine, followed by a live stream on YouTube — created confusion among physicians about what it means for young children.

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Navigating Payroll Compliance: Future-Proofing Payroll in an Evolving Regulatory Landscape

Speaker: Jennifer Hill

Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.

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STAT+: How much weight loss is too much? Pharma is pushing the limit with new obesity drugs

STAT

In ongoing trials of Eli Lilly’s next-generation obesity drug, several trial participants are running into an issue they never expected: They are losing too much weight. One participant lost 22% of her weight in nine months — substantially faster than the rate seen with approved GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound. Her weight dropped so much that researchers reduced her dose of the treatment, called retatrutide.

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STAT+: With the FDA in turmoil, the ‘revolving door’ with industry is spinning faster

STAT

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has railed against what he sees as a “revolving door” between workers at drug companies and the Food and Drug Administration. But his department’s actions now seem to be causing that door to spin ever faster.  Scores of FDA employees are searching for an exit from an agency in turmoil, particularly staff members tasked with reviewing drug applications, according to interviews with former employees and industry re

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Opinion: Short-term diet trials are designed to fail

STAT

Imagine a clinical trial with sedentary, overweight adults. One group is assigned to remain sedentary, the other to undergo intensive physical training with daily runs, calisthenics, and sports. After a week or two, the training group would probably feel sore and tired, and their endurance might be reduced. But we wouldn’t conclude that physical activity is bad for health.

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Opinion: ‘Post-vaccination syndrome’: a dubious diagnosis that could do harm

STAT

Recently, the notorious conspiracy theory peddler Alex Jones shared an “Infowars” video on X lambasting the “horrific side effects” of Covid vaccines: “Yale scientists link COVID vaccines to alarming new syndrome causing distinct biological changes to the body,” his post read. News of the new study spread like wildfire throughout right-wing anti-vaccine circles, amplified by the likes of Alex Berenson , Elon Musk , and Joe Rogan , who touted the study as

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Opinion: Dementia risk, higher than thought, requires a national strategy

STAT

A recent Nature Medicine research report is sounding an alarm. The risk of developing dementia by the age of 95 is 42%. The finding that the risk of dementia increases with age is well described. What’s new and startling about this result is the number. It’s double prior estimates. The investigator team, led by researchers at New York University and funded by the National Institutes of Health, reported even higher risk estimates for women, people who self-report Black racial identi

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From Diagnosis to Delivery: How AI is Revolutionizing the Patient Experience

Speaker: Simran Kaur, Founder & CEO at Tattva Health Inc.

The healthcare landscape is being revolutionized by AI and cutting-edge digital technologies, reshaping how patients receive care and interact with providers. In this webinar led by Simran Kaur, we will explore how AI-driven solutions are enhancing patient communication, improving care quality, and empowering preventive and predictive medicine. You'll also learn how AI is streamlining healthcare processes, helping providers offer more efficient, personalized care and enabling faster, data-driven

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STAT+: Health AI investments are off to a roaring start in 2025

STAT

Over the last week, companies developing artificial intelligence products for health care have announced a series of impressive fundraises that set the tone for what could be a banner year for AI investment. Timed to the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference, the announcements include $245 million for Innovaccer, a health care data company that’s increasingly focused on AI, $141 million for Hippocratic AI, a company that develops generative AI agents to help with clinical tasks, and $105 mill

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Down to their heart cells, women and men have cardiovascular differences that matter

STAT

Heart disease has long been the leading killer of adults, but beyond that stark fact, men and women diverge. From differences at the cellular level of the heart to circulatory structure to symptoms of distress and treatment, researchers are finding new manifestations of gender differences in cardiovascular disease.

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STAT+: UnitedHealth cuts profit outlook by $3 billion as more Medicare patients get care

STAT

UnitedHealth Group on Thursday lowered its profit outlook for the rest of this year after the health care conglomerate said its Medicare Advantage members continued to seek more medical care than it anticipated.  The higher use of care among these Medicare enrollees “was most notable within physician and outpatient services,” UnitedHealth said in its first-quarter earnings release.

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STAT+: Class action suit over UnitedHealth’s AI care denials nears key moment

STAT

A federal judge will soon decide whether a class action lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group and its algorithm-based care denials can move forward, which would potentially open the door for attorneys to sift through the company’s internal communications. The lawsuit, in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, alleges that UnitedHealth and its subsidiary NaviHealth relied on flawed algorithms to cut off essential rehabilitative care to sick and injured Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.

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Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide

Managing HR tasks like payroll, compliance, and employee data can overwhelm small businesses. That’s where a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution comes in. Our eBook, Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide , shows how an HCM system automates tedious processes, ensuring your business stays compliant and efficient. You’ll learn how to simplify payroll, eliminate costly errors, and empower your employees with self-service tools.

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Intensive lowering of blood pressure tied to lower dementia risk

STAT

High blood pressure earned its reputation as the silent killer by causing heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes. It’s also been a suspect in dementia. Some studies have hinted at a correlation between lower blood pressure and fewer dementia cases, but they were too small and too short to lend statistical significance to the link. It’s also been noted that people with untreated high blood pressure carry a 42% higher risk of developing dementia.

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Opinion: Uber for nursing is here — and it’s not good for patients or nurses

STAT

Dana, a 29-year-old nurse in St. Louis, checks her phone to see if the gig nursing app CareRev still has her scheduled at the local hospital. She’s already arranged child care for her son, but cancellations are common. “It’s a gamble. … I’ll wake up at 5 in the morning, and I’ll find out if I’m canceled or not,” she told us.

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Mayo Clinic’s partnership with dairy poses conflict of interest, critics say

STAT

In the world of nutrition research, dairy is neither hero nor villain. It contains important nutrients like protein and calcium. Yet full-fat dairy also contains relatively high levels of saturated fat, which has been linked to increased levels of harmful LDL cholesterol and greater risk of stroke and heart disease. These complexities mean many health providers aim for nuance in how they talk about dairy, avoiding the full-throated endorsements they might give to leafy greens or legumes while di

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STAT+: With Covid vaccine decisions, RFK Jr. unleashes an unfettered assault on public health  

STAT

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s unilateral decision that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would no longer recommend Covid-19 boosters for healthy people during childhood or pregnancy represents a bulldozing of safeguards intended to keep public health officials honest and their decisions transparent. It also tramples on individuals’ ability to make their own decisions about medical evidence.

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Position Your Pharmacy for Expansion

Speaker: Chris Antypas and Josh Halladay

Access to limited distribution drugs and payer contracts are key to pharmacy expansion. But how do you prepare your operations to take the next step? Meaningful data: Collect and share clinical data regarding outcomes, utilization, and more Reporting: Limited distribution models require efficient tracking and reporting systems Workflows: Align workflows with specific pharma and payer contractual requirements For in-depth, expert insights on pharmacy expansion, watch this webinar from Inovalon.

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Closure of CDC hepatitis lab imperils U.S. outbreak response, prevention

STAT

An estimated 4 million Americans are infected with hepatitis C, a disease that can go undetected for years. Another 2.4 million people in this country are chronically infected with hepatitis B, which is the leading cause of liver cancer globally. Hepatitis B is preventable, and hepatitis C is curable. But the U.S. capacity to battle these viral scourges has been leveled a devastating blow with the April 1 closure of the country’s premier testing laboratory for viral hepatitis, experts war

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STAT+: FTC slams PBMs for boosting specialty drug prices at the expense of the U.S. health care system

STAT

For the second time in less than a year, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission released a highly critical report of pharmacy benefit managers, which play a crucial but opaque role in the pharmaceutical supply chain. And the findings may provide further impetus for legislative action to curb practices that critics say contribute to the rising cost of prescription drugs.

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STAT+: FDA tells drugmakers to redo studies run by a contract research firm due to data integrity issues

STAT

In a rare move, the Food and Drug Administration told an unspecified number of drug companies that studies used to support therapeutic equivalence of some of their medicines have been rejected due to false data generated by a contract research organization. The agency identified “significant” problems with data integrity and the way studies were conducted by Raptim Research, which had been hired by the drugmakers to test their medicines.

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As some Medicaid sites freeze up, White House acts to clarify pause on grants and programs

STAT

WASHINGTON — A new memo from the White House budget office indicates that Medicaid payments should not be affected by a pause on some federal grants. States, though, on Tuesday were reporting difficulties accessing Medicaid payment portals. “Mandatory programs like Medicaid and SNAP will continue without pause,” the White House Office of Management and Budget stated in a two-page memo sent to Capitol Hill Tuesday.

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Best Practices to Streamline Compensation Management: A Foundation for Growth

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

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Opinion: Medical schools are eliminating the use of cadavers, and that’s a shame

STAT

I will never forget stepping into the cadaver lab for the first time. As the doors swung open, a sharp, sour wave of formaldehyde hit me and made my stomach churn. I pulled my thin polyester scrub shirt over my nose, but it did little to block the smell, let alone shield me from the bone-chilling temperature. Steel tables surrounded me, each holding a body, and I could see grayish-yellow skin peeking out from beneath the white drapes.

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Engineered muscle patch fixed failing hearts in an early study

STAT

By its name and nature, heart failure doesn’t have a good outlook. The progressive disease is diagnosed when the heart is no longer able to pump blood and oxygen throughout the body as well as it should, limiting daily activities and lifespan. Medications have improved at easing its symptoms, including obesity drugs that appear to work by reducing weight and fat, but researchers have long sought a more direct  repair of heart failure’s damage.

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Opinion: The CDC’s critical occupational safety institute has been virtually wiped out

STAT

In a single day, 10,000 federal workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration were laid off, including 90% or more of those at the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The office may be little-known outside of public health circles, but it is of critical importance.

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STAT+: Wyden claims Pfizer used a ‘colossal’ scheme to avoid paying billions in U.S. taxes

STAT

In what one U.S. lawmaker described as possibly the “largest tax-dodging scheme” by a pharmaceutical company in history, Pfizer sold $20 billion in medicines to U.S. customers six years ago, but did not report any profits from those sales on its 2019 tax returns because all of the income was supposedly earned offshore, according to an investigation by the Democratic staff of the Senate Finance Committee.

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Enhance Healthcare Efficiency With Top Payroll & HCM Services

Running a healthcare facility requires precision and care, not just for patients but also for your staff. Our guide, "A Buyer’s Guide to Payroll & HCM Services," helps healthcare providers choose the best provider. Efficient payroll management ensures timely, accurate payments, critical for maintaining staff morale and trust. Compliance support helps navigate complex healthcare regulations and avoid costly fines.

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STAT+: With a major patent cliff coming, will JPM play host to some serious deal-making?

STAT

SAN FRANCISCO — Next week brings the return of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, and with it another fabled opportunity for companies in the industry to court possible mergers, acquisitions, and licensing deals. This year, there will be even greater pressure to make a good match, as the pharmaceutical industry, which drives more than $1 trillion in economic activity and thousands of jobs, faces one of the largest patent cliffs in recent history.

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STAT+: Tennessee officials find Express Scripts violated law governing commercial pharmacy claims

STAT

In an unusual move, an audit of commercial health plans by Tennessee officials found that Express Scripts, one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in the United States, violated state laws in its dealings with pharmacies, according to newly released documents. Specifically, the company failed to properly reimburse pharmacies, favored its own specialty pharmacy operations by paying higher dispensing fees than to other pharmacies, and did not properly handle appeals filed by pharmacies, accor

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National public health group calls for RFK Jr. to resign, citing ‘complete disregard for science’

STAT

A national public health organization is calling for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign the federal post he assumed just weeks ago, citing “implicit and explicit bias and complete disregard for science.” Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said in a statement on Wednesday that concerns raised during Kennedy’s confirmation hearing last month have been realized, followed by massive reductions in staff at key health agen

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