Pope Francis has named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, D Pope Francis has named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, D ROME — Pope Francis on Monday named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, tapping one of his most progressively like-minded allies to head the Catholic Church in the U.S. capital at the start of the second Trump Administration. McElroy, 70, replaces Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who at 77 is two years beyond the normal retirement age for bishops. The Vatican announced the appointment in…
Author: MAK Gojar
London police say a man has been charged with assisting a former British soldier later convicted of spying for Iran in his escape from prison London police say a man has been charged with assisting a former British soldier later convicted of spying for Iran in his escape from prison LONDON — A man has been charged with assisting a former British soldier later convicted of spying for Iran in his escape from a London prison, police said Monday. Imran Chowdury, 25, was charged with one count of assisting an escaped prisoner for helping Daniel Khalife after he broke out…
This is a MedPage Today story. This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. In states with abortion bans, ProPublica has found, pregnant women have bled to death, succumbed to fatal infections, and wound up in morgues with what medical examiners recorded were “products of conception” still in their bodies. These are the very kinds of cases state maternal mortality review committees are supposed to delve into, determining why they happened and how to stop them from happening…
This is a MedPage Today story. It seems simple: Require hospitals and insurers to post their negotiated prices for most healthcare services and — bingo — competition follows, yielding lower costs for consumers. But nearly 4 years after the first Trump administration’s regulations forced hospitals to post massive amounts of pricing information online, the effect on patients’ costs is unclear. And while President Joe Biden added requirements to make pricing information more user-friendly, Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House has raised questions about what’s next, even though posting prices is an area of rare bipartisan agreement. The uncertainty…
This is a MedPage Today story. Many of President-elect Donald Trump’s candidates for federal health agencies have promoted policies and goals that put them at odds with one another or with Trump’s choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., setting the stage for internal friction over public health initiatives. The picks hold different views on matters such as limits on abortion, the safety of childhood vaccines, the COVID-19 response, and the use of weight-loss medications. The divide pits Trump picks who adhere to more traditional and orthodox science, such as the long-held,…
This is a MedPage Today story. This story is part of a series called “Ozempic: Weighing the Risks and Benefits.” It was produced in part through a grant from the NIHCM Foundation. Since she lost her job this summer as a bariatric surgeon, Lana Nelson, DO, has a phone message that tells callers, “I’m probably out on the trails” hiking near Grand Junction, Colorado. For 19 years until this fall, Nelson worked at the Norman Regional Health System’s “Journey Clinic,” a large weight-loss surgery program 15 miles south of Oklahoma City. For the last 12, she was its medical director.…
This is a MedPage Today story. Some doctors had a sleepless night when the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s (ABPN) online certification program locked them out earlier than the expected deadline — leading some to believe they would lose their board certification. Physicians were working on their quizzes to maintain board certification late on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 14, when the online tool shut down — ahead of the expected deadline of 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, Dec. 15. “I almost had a heart attack thinking that I would no longer be board certified,” one physician told…
This is a MedPage Today story. This story is part of a series called “Ozempic: Weighing the Risks and Benefits.” It was produced in part through a grant from the NIHCM Foundation. This is a sidebar to a story on how bariatric surgeons are being put out of work as a result of the rise in GLP-1 drugs. For the main story, click here. Sandra Sio weighed 300 pounds and couldn’t diet it away. For years she tried with no luck. The 35-year-old San Diego-area dental office manager and single mother of two said she went to her doctor in…
President Joe Biden has signed the annual defense authorization bill into law despite his objections to language banning transgender health care for military children President Joe Biden has signed the annual defense authorization bill into law despite his objections to language banning transgender health care for military children WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China’s growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military…
This is a MedPage Today story. Ohio doctor Frederick Tanzer, MD, has been indicted on federal charges related to a rape case from 1989. (KCTV) A family sued Amazon One Medical alleging a 45-year-old patient died after a telehealth visit with the company. He reported being short of breath, coughing up blood, and having his feet turn blue, but was reportedly prescribed an inhaler. He allegedly collapsed and died later that day. (Washington Post) A court awarded $66 million to the family of a woman who died due to complications of plastic surgery. (CBS Chicago) California oncologist Lauren Pinter-Brown, MD,…
This is a MedPage Today story. The federal Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) fielded a massive influx of claims due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). CICP received approximately 27 times more claims in response to the COVID pandemic than it had received in the whole first decade of the program, which began in 2009 — a total of 13,333 claims compared to just 491. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which runs the CICP, had made a decision on 3,483 of those claims, or 25%, as of June of…
This is a MedPage Today story. A western New York health insurance provider for seniors and the CEO of its medical analytics arm have agreed to pay a total of up to $100 million to settle Justice Department allegations of fraudulent billing for health conditions that were exaggerated or didn’t exist. Independent Health Association of Buffalo, which operates two Medicare Advantage plans, will pay up to $98 million. Betsy Gaffney, CEO of medical records review company DxID, will pay $2 million, according to the settlement agreement. Neither admitted wrongdoing. “Today’s result sends a clear message to the Medicare Advantage community…
Oregon authorities say a house cat died after eating raw frozen pet food that tested positive for bird flu Oregon authorities say a house cat died after eating raw frozen pet food that tested positive for bird flu PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu, Oregon authorities said, prompting a recall of raw frozen pet food that was sold nationwide. Northwest Naturals, a pet food company based in Portland, Oregon, said Tuesday it had voluntarily recalled one batch of its two-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food after…
This is a MedPage Today story. This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Anthony Olson wanted a career, children, a partner with whom he could hike Montana’s trails. Despite the diabetes diagnosis at age 4, the anemia, the kidney transplant that failed at age 29, the dialysis, he clung to those dreams. He attended community college and later moved from his parents’ house in Helena to study accounting at Montana Tech in Butte. He thought he might…
Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war from 1991-2002 created about 28,000 amputees Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war from 1991-2002 created about 28,000 amputees FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Lahai Makieu struck the bamboo with a machete until it cracked and fell. Balancing on his crutch, he reached to pick it up. But colleagues pulled the bamboo’s other end, and he tumbled into the dense grass. “They forgot I had one leg,” the 45-year-old said, laughing. The trainer at a center for amputee farmers picked himself up and added: “We fall and we rise.” The phrase encapsulates his journey since the civil war…
A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the first severe case of the illness in the United States A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the first severe case of the illness in the United States A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. Scientists believe the mutations may allow the virus to better bind to receptors in…
Even with abortion bans in place in most Republican-controlled states, the number of people obtaining them has grown slightly Even with abortion bans in place in most Republican-controlled states, the number of people obtaining them has grown slightly Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet. It’s now been two and a half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door for states to implement bans. The policies and their impact have been in…
If you’re planning on ringing in the new year quietly at home, you’re not alone If you’re planning on ringing in the new year quietly at home, you’re not alone NEW YORK — If you’re planning on ringing in the new year quietly at home, you’re not alone. A majority of U.S adults intend to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “As I’ve gotten older over the last few years, it’s like if I don’t make it to midnight, it’s not a big deal, you know?”…
The latest government data shows that cases of a fast-spreading stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States The latest government data shows that cases of a fast-spreading stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States Cases of a wretched stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States this winter, according to government data. The most recent numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported during the week of Dec. 5, up from 69 outbreaks the last week of November. Numbers from the past…
Anmol Bishnoi ordered Baba Siddiqui’s murder to strike fear: Police chargesheet Anmol Bishnoi ordered Baba Siddiqui’s murder to strike fear: Police chargesheet Anmol Bishnoi ordered Baba Siddiqui’s murder to strike fear: Police chargesheet The Mumbai Police on Monday filed a chargesheet against 26 accused in the Baba Siddiqui murder case. The Crime Branch had invoked MCOCA in the case, and so the chargesheet, which has been filed in the Mumbai Sessions Court, will now be sent to a Special MCOCA Court. The chargesheet contains approximately 4,590 pages of witness statements and evidence, with three of the accused listed as wanted. The…