The Endocrine Society—the world’s largest professional organization for endocrine scientists and physicians—is calling on Congress to pass the House Labor-HHS spending bill to ensure health agencies are funded before the start of Fiscal Year 2021 and to avoid the tumult and disruption of a continuing resolution and potential government shutdowns.
Category: Policy
Health, Bioethics Experts and Advocates Publish Guidance for Research on HIV, Co-infections in Pregnancy
The PHASES Working Group, co-led by researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgetown, and Johns Hopkins, launched ethics guidance at hivpregnancyethics.org, in a project dedicated to ending the evidence gap for pregnant women around HIV and co-infections.
Open letter opposing change to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program
The American Chemical Society (ACS) has signed an open letter to the White House, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State opposing modifications to temporary exemptions for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
Statement by AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine on ICE Guidance on International Students and University Online-Only Instruction
AERA urges the administration to reverse the ICE guidance and allow international students with valid visas to remain in the United States as their universities strive to find the best path forward to providing a high-quality education while ensuring public health safety.
Nurses’ Use of Physician Term Anesthesiologist Misleading to Patients
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) yesterday urged the New Hampshire Supreme Court to uphold the New Hampshire Medical Board’s decision that health care professionals using the term “anesthesiologist” must be licensed physicians and meet all the requirements to practice medicine in the state, according to an amicus curiae brief filed on behalf of ASA and the American Medical Association (AMA).
Move to Withdraw U.S. from WHO During Global COVID-19 Pandemic Very Concerning;
The American Thoracic Society (ATS) is deeply concerned by the Trump Administration’s action today to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Children and adults should wear masks in public to reduce COVID-19 spread, anesthesia professionals urge
Anesthesia professionals urge the public to wear masks to stop spread of COVID-19
ACR Releases Position Statement on Telemedicine
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has released an official position statement supporting the role of telemedicine as a tool with the potential to increase access and improve care for patients with rheumatic diseases. It also highlights the significant barriers and opportunities presented to patients and rheumatology professionals.
AMSSM Releases Position Statement on Sexual Violence in Sport
The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) has released a position statement regarding “Sexual Violence in Sport”.
At the Heart of the Matter: ACSM Updates Recommendations to Prevent Cardiovascular Events at Fitness Facilities
American College of Sports Medicine’s new expert consensus statement updates guidance on training staff and establishing emergency plans to prevent cardiovascular events at fitness facilities, community and hotel fitness facilities and sporting event venues.
To Prepare the U.S. for Future Pandemics, AACC Calls on Congress to Enact 4 Recommendations
In response to the Senate health committee’s white paper on preparing for future pandemics, AACC sent a letter to committee leadership detailing four key steps the government should take to ready the U.S. for the next outbreak. AACC urges the health committee to address these recommendations in future pandemic legislation, as they are crucial to preventing another public health crisis like the one COVID-19 has caused.
Managing Abnormal Results on Cervical Cancer Screening: ASCCP Issues Updated Guidelines
Replacing guidelines for managing women with abnormal results on cervical cancer screening test from 2012, new recommendations from ASCCP emphasize more precise management based on estimates of the patient’s risk – enabling more personalized recommendations for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The revised guidelines with updated recommendations are now available in the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease (JLGTD), official journal of ASCCP. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
AANA Supports CMS Action to Cut Red Tape for Providers
Leaders of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) are encouraged by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcement on the creation of the Office of Burden Reduction and Health Informatics in an effort to “cut red tape” for providers.
New Seminar Series Aims To Expose, Explain Threats to U.S. Democracy
A group of political science scholars is launching a webinar series on Friday to highlight escalating threats to democracy that have been percolating for decades and boiling over ever since Donald Trump’s election.
Communication should be a vital sign, researchers argue
In an editorial published June 19 in the journal Critical Care Medicine, Lance Patak, an assistant professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and two faculty partners with The Ohio State University College of Nursing suggest that patient communications should be as standard and routine as any other vital sign
Nurses are on the Frontlines of COVID-19 but Their Expertise Remains Missing from Policy Decisions
Nurses’ perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic are unique and essential to informing decisions made by federal leaders, and they should be included in key decision-making groups, urges the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
David Eccles School of Business “Navigating COVID-19” Webinars Inform Utah’s Coronavirus Crisis Policies and Business Outcomes
A COVID-19 webinar series at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business has helped shape Utah’s formal response to the coronavirus pandemic while counseling hundreds of businesses statewide – a practical and service-driven model for higher education efforts in the global crisis.
Majority of House of Representatives Supports Prior Authorization Relief Bill
Introduced by Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Roger Marshall, MD, (R-Kan.) and Ami Bera, MD, (D-Calif.), this legislation would help protect America’s seniors from unnecessary delays in care by streamlining and standardizing prior authorization under the Medicare Advantage program, providing much-needed oversight and transparency of health insurance for America’s seniors.
Tear Gas Use During COVID-19 Pandemic Irresponsible; Moratorium Needed, Says American Thoracic Society
The American Thoracic Society calls for a moratorium on the use of tear gas and other chemical agents deployed by law enforcement against protestors participating in demonstrations, including current campaigns sparked by the death of George Floyd.
Use of Emergency Departments Plummets During COVID-19
A new commentary highlights the dramatic decline in emergency department visits during the COVID-19 pandemic and what could be causing the decrease.
Banning Covert Foreign Election Interference
The United States is one of the countries that is most susceptible to foreign election interference. To safeguard the U.S. elections in November, Robert K. Knake argues that the United States and other democracies should agree to not interfere in foreign elections.
KIDNEY HEALTH INITIATIVE URGES INVESTIGATORS TO INCLUDE PEOPLE WITH KIDNEY DISEASES IN CLINICAL TRIALS FOR CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19) THERAPIES
People with kidney diseases are often excluded from clinical trials because of the complexity and high morbidity of kidney disease.
COVID-19 puts people with kidney diseases at a two to sixteen-fold increased risk of severe symptoms.
All investigators should include people with kidney diseases when developing vaccines, preventative therapies or treatments related to COVID-19.
Addressing Sexual Violence in Sport: American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Issues Position Statement
Sexual violence is a serious problem with potentially severe and lasting negative effects on the physical, psychological, and social well-being of victims – including athletes. A new American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) Position Statement on sexual violence in sport was published simultaneously in four leading sports medicine journals, including Current Sports Medicine Reports (CSMR), official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM); and the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine (CJSM), official journal of the AMSSM. Both CSMR and CJSM are published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
EPA Proposal to Change How It Evaluates Environmental Policy Ignores Science
The American Thoracic Society is extremely concerned with today’s announcement about changes in how the EPA evaluates the costs and benefits of environmental policy. While the details of economic analysis of environmental regulations are complex, the guiding principle is remarkably simple: compare all the costs and benefits of agency actions. The proposed changes in how costs and benefits are evaluated will sufficiently degrade the credibility of economic analysis conducted at the EPA to the point that it is no longer able to function as an objective policy analysis tool.
AACI Issues Statement on Role of Cancer Centers in Confronting Racism
In a formal statement, the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) condemned racism and other forms of discrimination, urging that these issues be confronted as public health crises.
AACC Releases Guidance Document on Using Point-of-Care Tests to Improve Patient Care
AACC has issued a new guidance document detailing best practices that hospitals and other healthcare institutions should follow when running a point-of-care testing program. As point-of-care tests emerge for more and more conditions—including COVID-19—the guidance emphasizes that it is essential for laboratory professionals and clinicians to collaborate on point-of-care testing programs to ensure this testing benefits patients.
AACC Statement for Racial Equality
Laboratory professionals cannot be mute bystanders to inequality. Our legacy is one of service and AACC calls upon our community to be part of the dialogue to promote racial equality.
CAP releases 2020 edition of Laboratory Accreditation Program checklists used for inspection of medical laboratories
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) released the 2020 edition of its Laboratory Accreditation Program checklists on June 4, 2020. CAP inspectors use the checklists, with approximately 3,000 requirements, during inspections to ensure laboratories comply with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations and achieve accreditation.
The Academy for Eating Disordes Applauds Kentucky’s New Eating Disorder Council
AED commends the Kentucky Senate and House and Governor Andy Beshear for passing a Bill that established the Kentucky Eating Disorders Council with the goal of raising awareness, providing education, and improving access to care for all Kentuckians with eating disorders.
Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis
Statement from University Hospitals in Cleveland supporting Cleveland City Council resolution declaring racism a public health crisis.
First Do No Harm – Researchers Urge Halt in Prescribing Hydroxycholoroquine for COVID-19
Researchers urge a moratorium on prescribing chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, with or without azithromycin, to treat or prevent COVID-19, and caution that the reassuring safety profile of hydroxychloroquine may be more apparent than real. Safety data derive from decades of prescriptions by clinicians, primarily for their patients with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, both of which are of greater prevalence in younger and middle age women, who are at very low risk of fatal heart outcomes due to hydroxychloroquine.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Condemns Racism, Racial Inequities in Health Care
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons shares a message condemning racism, racial inequities in health care
ATS Responds to the Death of George Floyd and Subsequent Events
Today, the American Thoracic Society issued the following statement regarding the death of George Floyd:
The recent tragic death of Mr. George Floyd in Minneapolis and subsequent protests throughout the United States and in cities around the world call on us to again examine the role of the American Thoracic Society. As an international professional organization whose members are on the front lines of providing care to all citizens, our members are now experiencing first-hand some of the effects of these events.
Governor Pataki Shares Vision With Students For Overcoming COVID-19 Crisis, Tough Job Market
Few people have the experience of leading a country out of a crisis as significant as the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. George Pataki, who was the governor of New York on September 11, is one of them. He shared his vision for how America can recover from the pandemic during a May 29 CFES Brilliant Pathways webinar
Bone Researcher Provides Expert Commentary in Publication’s Controversial Reversal of Long-Held Theory
The latest issue of PLOS Genetics includes two publications that challenge the basic assumptions behind 24 years of bone and metabolism research, and given the magnitude of the potential paradigm shift, the editors turned to Stavros C. Manolagas, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to provide expert commentary and context.
KIDNEY HEALTH INITIATIVE URGES THE ACCELERATION OF HOME THERAPY TECHNOLOGY IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19)
The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the vulnerability of people with kidney failure who rely on in-center hemodialysis. People with kidney failure are at high risk of severe COVID-19 complications and are exposed to infection due to a kidney replacement therapy process that requires traveling to a dialysis facility multiple times a week.
To Prevent a Second Wave of COVID-19, AACC Calls on Senate to Include 5 Recommendations in Upcoming Coronavirus Bill
Now that the latest coronavirus relief package, known as the Heroes Act, has moved forward to the U.S. Senate, AACC has sent a letter to Senate leadership outlining five key recommendations that will improve COVID-19 testing capacity across the U.S. AACC urges the Senate to ensure these recommendations are addressed within the Heroes Act, as they are critical to preventing a second wave of the pandemic.
ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS SUPPORTS INTRODUCTION OF MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY LEGISLATION IN CONGRESS
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics supports U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (N.Y.) and Rep. Pete King’s (N.Y.) commitment to America’s health by introducing the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2020. The bill would provide coverage for Medicare beneficiaries to obtain treatment from registered dietitian nutritionists and other qualified nutrition experts for many common and costly chronic diseases.
Transplant Patients Need to be Examined by a Dermatologist: The American Dermatologic Association endorses enhanced Screening, Surveillance, and Prevention of Skin Cancer and Skin Infection in Patients with Solid Organ Transplants
Skin cancer and skin infection are significantly more likely in solid organ transplant patients compared to patients with normal immune system function. Almost 40,000 organ transplants were performed in the United States in 2019, a 9% increase over 2018.
Optimizing Patient Access to Medications: The American Dermatological Association’s Position Statement on Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and Patient Access to Affordable and Appropriate Medications
Access to healthcare has been at the forefront of social and political debate for decades. Reliable and equitable access to provider prescribed medications is tantamount to the delivery of appropriate healthcare, and the lifecycle of medication manufacturing, distribution, pricing and procurement has been shrouded in an incomprehensible array of transactions and involved stakeholders. Among the middlemen interspersed between pharmaceutical manufacturers and patients are pharmacy benefit managers (PBM). Initially tasked with administering drug plans for health insurers,1 the role of PBMs has expanded over time. They currently function in a lightly regulated area,2,3 with few requirements for business transparency. Three PBMs, CVS Caremark, Optum RX, and Express Scripts, control distribution of nearly ¾ of the medications in the United States.
During Virtual Hill Visits, Rheumatology Leaders Urge Lawmakers to Provide Targeted COVID-19 Relief for Healthcare Practices
In virtual meetings with lawmakers and on Twitter tomorrow, physician and health professional leaders from the American College of Rheumatology are sounding the alarm about the economic impact of COVID-19 on rheumatology practices and the urgent need for targeted relief to help specialty practices remain solvent and continue to serve patients.
AANA Partners with 47 Nursing Organizations to Remove Practice Barriers in the VA
In a letter today, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) partnered with 47 national nursing organizations to request support for the Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Directive 1899 to permanently remove barriers and allow Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to practice to the full extent of their education and training.
APS ISSUES RARE RESOLUTION TO CONGRESS
For the first time in more than 60 years, the American Philosophical Society (APS), founded by Benjamin Franklin and the nation’s oldest learned society, has issued a public resolution calling on Congress to enact a National Defense Education Act for the 21st Century. The resolution has been sent to the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate.
Head of Talent Acquisition at Southwest Airlines Emphasizes Essential Skills Over Technical During CFES Brilliant Pathways Webinar
The Head of Talent Acquisition at Southwest Airlines offered some critical career advice to students participating in a CFES Brilliant Pathways Webinar on May 13 focused on Essential Skills: we hire for attitude first, skills second.
ASA Urges Secretary Azar to Implement a Moratorium on Health Insurer Contract Cancellations and Reinstatement of Cancelled Physician Contracts
Health insurance companies around the country are using aggressive negotiating tactics to terminate physician contracts, forcing physicians out of network with little or no notice and increasing the likelihood that patients will receive surprise medical bills. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has implored Alex M. Azar II, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to press insurers to reinstate terminated contracts and to implement a moratorium on cancellations and terminations during this national health emergency.
Ophthalmologists Zoom to Capitol Hill
More than 200 ophthalmologists from 40 states today are Zooming or teleconferencing with lawmakers and their staffs in Washington, D.C. to push for congressional support for measures that will help physician practices survive the COVID-19 pandemic and to restore patients’ timely access to sight-saving treatments.
AANA Leaders Prove Now is the Time for Evidence-Based Policy in the VA, not Politics
AANA President Kate Jansky, MHS, CRNA, APRN, USA LTC (ret), and AANA CEO Randall D. Moore, DNP, MBA, CRNA—both veterans—addressed a series of “misleading” and “inflammatory” assertions made by the American Society of Anesthesiologists this week related to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) directive allowing full practice authority for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in the VA.
Coalition of bone health experts issue joint guidance on managing osteoporosis in the COVID-19 era
The Endocrine Society joined a coalition of leading bone health organizations to release guidance for healthcare professionals treating patients with osteoporosis in the era of COVID-19.
Physician Anesthesiologists Urge VA to Reverse Directive Jeopardizing Veterans’ Lives
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) urges Americans to protect our nation’s Veterans by asking the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reverse
its memorandum that dismantles the successful anesthesia care team, removes physician anesthesiologists from surgery and replaces them with nurses, lowering the standard of care for Veterans and jeopardizing their lives.
Fight for victims of dead multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein continues
University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law Professor Paul Cassell and attorney Bradley J. Edwards have filed a petition for rehearing en banc in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on behalf of sex abuse victims of multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein. The petition asks the full Eleventh Circuit to rehear its earlier divided (2-1) ruling, rejecting the victims’ appeal challenging a secret non-prosecution agreement.