Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Patients Lose Even With Rural Health Transformation Program; Dentists' Role In The Opioid Crisis
Stat: Rural Health Transformation Program Won’t Save Hospitals
I always feel a heightened awareness as I navigate a catheter through the right side of the heart and into the pulmonary artery, the blood vessel carrying blood flow into the lungs. It’s a three-dimensional trip, tracked in two dimensions on fluoroscopy. Because of the strain a pulmonary embolism puts on the heart, the anatomy is distorted. While watching on the screen, I make small movements and slowly advance to find the right trajectory. The catheter jumps into position. (Daniel Torrent, 2/25)
Stat: Dentists Can Help Fight The Drug Overdose Crisis
It was a routine day in my practice. A 28-year-old man — polite, soft-spoken, and visibly anxious — walked into my dental chair for what he thought would be a quick fix for a nagging toothache. Halfway through the exam, I asked a standard question from a new screening tool we had begun using: “Have you ever used, or do you currently use, any controlled substances?” (Divya Upadhyay, 2/25)
Los Angeles Times: RFK Jr.'s Focus On Viral Nonsense Is Putting Children's Lives At Risk
The Health secretary released a video of him flexing with Kid Rock, while his reckless decisions have contributed to more than 900 people contracting measles in 2026. (Robert B. Shpiner, 2/22)
The Washington Post: AI Didn't Replace Me As A Doctor. It Made Me Better.
Future clinicians should be training on how to use this technology effectively. (Ashish K. Jha, 2/24)
The New York Times: 40 Iranian Doctors And Nurses Describe A Massacre
We surveyed medical workers across 14 cities and 11 provinces about their experiences treating wounded protesters. (Roxana Saberi and Fatemeh Jamalpour, 2/25)
