Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Different Politics, Same Concerns About US Healthcare; Is There A Link Between AI Use And Social Isolation?
The Washington Post: We Disagree About Politics. But We See The Same Problems In Healthcare.
Congress has several ways it can improve the industry. (Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Brian Blase, 10/26)
Stat: The Creeping Threat Of Cumulative AI Use And Isolation
OpenAI recently announced that it is tracking signs of user distress across sessions, rather than only within them, and using that information to inform model responses. The announcement follows a wave of new safeguards for mental health and well-being conversations with artificial intelligence at OpenAI and elsewhere, such as parental controls for teens, usage limits and break reminders, and crisis detection and referral. (Qian Yang, Ned Cooper and Ibrahim Emara, 10/26)
Roll Call: Here’s How Congress Can Reassert Its Advocacy For Medicare Patients
An important date is looming for our nation’s physicians. No, it is not Election Day, although, to be sure, that date is also important. The date I have in mind is the release of the final rule for Medicare’s physician fee schedule. (Michael C. Burgess, 10/23)
Stat: How Bad Should A Healthy Person Feel?
The 43-year-old woman sitting across from me in my exam room is exasperated. “I just don’t feel like I have the energy or stamina I used to,” she tells me. “I could run 5 miles a day no problem when I was 23.” Today we are reviewing her labs, all of which are normal. She has been my patient for several years and recently lost 50 pounds. In many ways, she feels better. Despite all that, despite a normal exam, vital signs, and labs, she just doesn’t have the energy she used to. Something must be wrong. (Kirsten Balin, 10/26)
