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Masking Woes
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With Covid-19 making a solid return this season, we’re also looking at the return of masks — and new mask guidance from the CDC. But nurses and other clinicians are outraged that the draft wording says there’s no difference in protection between surgical masks and N95s (which oddly contradicts the conclusions of a 2022 CDC report). The draft further recommends N95s be reserved for “pandemic-phase” viruses, or those that are new that people have little immunity against, completely ignoring that even common flu viruses can harm vulnerable populations.
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On the Chopping Block
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With a government shutdown looming, Congress is looking to curb funding for the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital program by $32 billion from 2023 through 2027. This program supports hospitals that serve a significantly disproportionate number of low-income under- and uninsured patients. More than 250 hospitals and hospitals are urging Congress to slice that cut
in half, as the need for this funding is greater now than ever with the increases in hospital expenses since the pandemic started. The American Hospital Association also pushed against the cuts in a separate statement.
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They Knew That Already
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An FDA advisory panel has concluded that oral phenylephrine — found in more than 250 drugs for congestion — is ineffective as a decongestant and should be removed from products in the future. But pharmacists at the University of Florida knew this at least 30 years ago when their research showed phenylephrine is destroyed in the stomach. In the early 2000s, meth
users’ ingredient of choice was pseudoephedrine, leading to increased restrictions on it and leaving just one easy-to-get, FDA-approved option: phenylephrine. Experts’ arguments against phenylephrine were largely ignored.
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TODAY'S TOP VITAL
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25%
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Only one in four physicians recommend a career in medicine to young people.
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