Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Doctors, Cancer Experts Warn Against Canceling Colonoscopies
Fox News: Health Expert, Citing 'Grave Concern,' Says Results Of New Colonoscopy Study Are 'Wildly' Misinterpreted
"We have no problem with the study itself," American Cancer Society CEO Karen E. Knudsen told Fox News Digital in a phone interview on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. "It's the interpretation of the study that gives us grave concern," she said — calling the study "wildly misinterpreted." (Reilly, 10/11)
USA Today: Study Raises Questions About Colonoscopies For Cancer Screening. What Doctors Want You To Know
A new study in European countries where colonoscopies weren't routinely offered appears to suggest the procedure may be less helpful than many had hoped. But some health experts warn against misinterpreting the study's findings. "There's a lot of nuances here, so it's understandable that there are different takeaways from different folks," said Dr. Chris Manz, a gastroenterology oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. (Weintraub and Rodriguez, 10/11)
In other health and wellness news —
CIDRAP: Researchers Find Monkeypox Virus On Hospital Surfaces, In Air
A new study from the United Kingdom shows widespread monkeypox DNA surface contamination in healthcare settings, with 93% of surfaces in occupied patient rooms contaminated, and significant contamination on healthcare worker personal protective equipment (PPE). (Soucheray, 10/11)
Roll Call: Monkeypox Response Looks To Long Term
The nation’s monkeypox response is shifting from crisis mode to a more long-term approach as the Biden administration acknowledges that it will be impossible to eradicate the virus from the country anytime soon. (Cohen, 10/11)
CBS News: How Lifestyle Changes Can Help Reduce Pain In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
An estimated 1.5 million Americans have a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Many patients with the autoimmune illness experience flare-ups and chronic pain. But speaking up at the doctor's office and making lifestyle adjustments can help alleviate some of the pain and discomfort, says Nick Turkas, senior director for patient education at the Arthritis Foundation. (Santichen, 10/6)
KHN: BMI: The Mismeasure Of Weight And The Mistreatment Of Obesity
People who seek medical treatment for obesity or an eating disorder do so with the hope their health plan will pay for part of it. But whether it’s covered often comes down to a measure invented almost 200 years ago by a Belgian mathematician as part of his quest to use statistics to define the “average man.” That work, done in the 1830s by Adolphe Quetelet, appealed to life insurance companies, which created “ideal” weight tables after the turn of the century. By the 1970s and 1980s, the measurement, now dubbed body mass index, was adopted to screen for and track obesity. (Appleby, 10/12)
