Today's Healthcare Pulse
Abridge teams with Eli Lilly and Nvidia to expand AI scribe platform
Abridge announced a strategic investment from Eli Lilly and a partnership with Nvidia to build a foundation model for clinical conversations. The collaboration aims to broaden Abridge’s AI‑scribe services across more health systems and integrate with payers. The company already supports over 300 health systems.
Also developing:
AgentClinic Puts Medical AI Through a More Realistic Diagnostic Test
A new benchmark called AgentClinic evaluates clinical AI agents in simulated patient encounters that require sequential decision‑making, tool use, and multimodal inputs. The study tested 11 large language models, finding Claude 3.5 Sonnet topped accuracy at 62.1% on MedQA cases, while GPT‑4 lagged behind. Performance dropped when interaction limits were tightened or when bias prompts were added, highlighting gaps between static exam scores and real‑world diagnostic ability. The benchmark also exposed variability across specialties, languages, and image‑handling capabilities.
Leishmanicidal Efficacy of Cold Atmospheric Multiple Plasma Jet Against Leishmania Major in a Murine Model: Effects on Parasite Burden, Cytokine...
The study evaluated a cold atmospheric multiple plasma jet (CAMPJ) as a novel therapy for cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice. Topical applications of 5, 10 and 15 minutes, administered twice weekly for three weeks, markedly reduced lesion size and splenic...
FDA, up Close and Personal: A Banker’s Recalibration
Former FDA senior advisor Peter Reikes argues that the agency’s perceived slowness stems from its core principles of independence, caution, and process discipline rather than dysfunction. He notes that despite recent leadership turnover and political pressure, a deep bench of...
Vignette-Based Triage Decisions in Musculoskeletal Care Among Physiotherapists, Physiotherapists Licensed for Direct Access, and Physicians in Germany: An Online Cross-...
A cross‑sectional online survey of 110 German clinicians—including physiotherapists, Heilpraktiker‑licensed physiotherapists, and physicians—used 12 clinical vignettes to assess triage accuracy for musculoskeletal complaints. Overall accuracy was low, ranging from 35.6 % to 43.2 %, with no statistically significant differences between professional groups....
Development of a Universal Healthcare Professionals’ Implementation- Needs Questionnaire and Its Validation Among Ukrainian Family Doctors
Researchers created the Healthcare Professionals’ Implementation‑needs Questionnaire (HPIQ) to capture individual implementation needs of clinicians. Drawing items from the Determinants of Implementation Behavior Questionnaire, they generated 31 questions and refined them through two expert rounds and feedback from 25 Ukrainian...
Fresh Faces for NDIS Consultation Forum
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has reconstituted its sector consultation forum, introducing new members to provide fresh perspectives on disability service delivery. The forum advises the commission on practical impacts of regulations, helping to improve quality, safeguard participants, and...
Moldova’s Selftalk Raises €270K to Scale Resilience‑Focused Mental‑Health Platform
Selftalk, the Moldovan mental‑health startup, closed a €270,000 (~$295,000) seed round and is pivoting toward a €1 million (~$1.09 million) annual recurring revenue goal. The company’s journey—from costly London therapy sessions to a bootstrapped return home—highlights a new wave of resilience‑focused personal‑growth...
The CRISPR Medicine That Cured a Child: How Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Prize Brought Gene Therapy to Hollywood
At the 2026 Breakthrough Prize ceremony, Baby KJ was celebrated after receiving Casgevy, the first FDA‑approved CRISPR gene‑editing therapy for sickle cell disease and beta‑thalassemia. The $3 million prize honored researchers Stuart Orkin, Swee Lay Thein and others whose work on the BCL11A...
EnteroBiotix Raises $25 Million to Launch Largest Microbiome IBS Therapy Study
EnteroBiotix announced a $25 million financing round led by Thairm Bio and the Scottish National Investment Bank to fund the largest microbiome‑based Phase IIb trial in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS‑C). The capital will support a 300‑patient study in the...
Testosterone Levels Stable, Recent 9% Rise Tied to TRT Surge
Based on accurate testing in the last 30 years, no real change in testosterone at the population level. In the last 10 years however, there’s been a ~9% increase, which is likely due to the quadrupling of TRT prescriptions in...
Semaglutide Cuts Heavy Drinking and Cravings in AUD
GLP-1 Drug Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) Reduced Heavy Drinking & Craving in Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder https://t.co/FYRkjWYhJQ https://t.co/cGtEajk9lp
Aidoc Secures $150 Million Series E to Boost Clinical AI Safety
Aidoc announced a $150 million Series E funding round led by Goldman Sachs Growth Equity, bringing its total capital to over $500 million. The cash will accelerate the rollout of its CARE™ foundation model and aiOS™ platform, aiming to reduce diagnostic errors across...
Former Tesla President Offers Innovation Tips
At the HIMSS conference, former Tesla president John McNeill outlined a repeatable innovation framework that starts with defining problems, setting bold goals, questioning every assumption and simplifying processes before introducing technology. He illustrated the method with Tesla’s 2015 turnaround, where...
Digital Twin Technology Helps Reduce ED Wait Times
Erie Shores HealthCare’s emergency department in Leamington, Ontario cut its average time to initial physician assessment by more than 40%, dropping from 7.7 hours to 4.5 hours, after deploying SiMLQ’s digital‑twin platform. The solution combines simulation, machine‑learning and queuing theory...
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BuSpar Uses, Side Effects, and Dosages
Buspirone, sold under the discontinued brand name BuSpar, remains a widely prescribed generic for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It works as a serotonin‑receptor agonist and typically takes 2–4 weeks before patients notice therapeutic benefits. Dosage ranges from 5 mg to 60 mg...
Peterborough Regional Health Makes AI Push, Rolls Out Peregrine
Peterborough Regional Health Centre is launching Peregrine, an AI‑powered data platform built on Microsoft Fabric and Copilot. The system unifies more than 18 clinical and administrative data sources, giving clinicians real‑time insights for decision‑making. Early use has already reshaped orthopedic...
Nfld and Labrador Health Services Charts Path to Near-Zero No-Shows
Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services partnered with Canadian‑based TxtSquad to replace one‑way reminders with two‑way texting and AI‑driven voice outreach. The pilot quickly expanded to over 30 clinics, managing more than 20,000 appointments for 70,000 patients and driving no‑show rates...
AI Governance Is Becoming Healthcare’s Next Major Compliance Burden
Healthcare providers have embedded AI across clinical, financial, and operational functions, promising better outcomes and efficiency. Regulators, led by the FDA, are now treating AI tools like medical devices, demanding rigorous validation, monitoring, and documentation. This shift forces health‑system leaders...
Change Management: GenAI and CDS Are Already Accepted by Clinicians
Since its commercial launch in November 2022, generative AI has moved from novelty to mainstream in Canadian health care. A CMA‑CFIB survey shows 28 % of physicians using ambient scribe tools and OpenEvidence reports 34 % adoption of second‑screen decision‑support apps. Clinicians are...
Opal Platform Transitions to Open-Source Software, Seeks Partners
Opal, a patient‑information platform developed at McGill’s RI‑MUHC, will be released as open‑source software in 2025 after the health centre ended support amid Quebec’s province‑wide EHR rollout. The transition positions Opal as a Canadian, patient‑in‑the‑loop digital health infrastructure that leverages...
Implementing Cross-Agency Care Coordination Case Management Solutions
Canada’s Connected Care for Canadians Act mandates health‑information interoperability, and VitalHub is piloting a Mental Health and Addictions Information Exchange (MHAIE) in the Waterloo‑Wellington region. The three‑phase project begins with a shared client‑consent record, expands to service data sharing, and...
Hospital Capacity: The Missing Link Between Planning and Delivery
Hospitals often appear to have sufficient staffing on paper, but fragmented communication creates a "coordination gap" that erodes real capacity. The gap forces clinicians to spend time locating colleagues, routing calls, and reconciling schedules, which delays care and adds cognitive...
Eli Lilly Inks $2.25 B AI‑driven Drug Discovery Pact with Profluent
Eli Lilly has signed a $2.25 billion agreement with AI‑specialist Profluent to co‑develop a platform for computational drug discovery. The deal, announced today, signals a major capital shift toward AI‑enabled R&D in pharma.
Japan Survey Finds Sexual Abuse at 15% of Hospitals. Is the True Scale Higher?
A government‑commissioned survey of Japanese hospitals and long‑term care facilities found that more than 15% have recorded patient sexual assault or abuse. The study, the first of its kind, gathered responses from 1,113 of the 5,000 institutions invited. Victims were...
The Opportunity for Connected Care with Digital Health Never Better
The Connected Care for Canadians Act (Bill S‑5) pushes Canada to eliminate data blocking and require real‑time sharing of clinically relevant information into a national, shared electronic health record (EHR). The author argues that the 2006 EHRS Blueprint must be...
ARPA-H Pursues Bold, Transformative Health Programs
ARPA-H 101: The lifecycle of an ARPA-H program 🗣️"ARPA-H doesn’t settle for iterative results. We exist to change the course of human health. To do this requires bold program ideas and a model unlike traditional funding agencies..." Get to know @ARPA_H https://t.co/iKZKyFcR18...
Brightspring Health Services Inc (BTSG) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
BrightSpring Health Services reported $12.9 billion in total revenue for 2025, a 28% year‑over‑year increase driven by 31% growth in Pharmacy Solutions and 11% growth in Provider Services. Adjusted EBITDA rose 34% to $618 million, with margins expanding thanks to procurement efficiencies...
Targeted and Timely: Curating Aesthetic Care for GLP-1 Patients
The surge in GLP‑1 agonist use for weight loss is prompting a wave of elective aesthetic procedures. A recent survey of 127 U.S. aesthetics providers shows 20% of GLP‑1 patients opting for surgical lifts and 39% of nonsurgical users considering...
Moderna Inc (MRNA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Moderna reported Q1 2026 revenue of $108 million, a 35% year‑over‑year decline, while posting a $1 billion net loss. Cost of sales rose to 104% of product sales, reflecting lower volume and an adverse mix, but combined R&D, SG&A and cost‑of‑sales fell...
The Women’s Health Playbook
The Women’s Health Playbook podcast, hosted by Priya Bathija, breaks down the complexities of navigating U.S. healthcare for women, offering actionable strategies for every stage of a doctor’s visit—from choosing the right clinician to preparing for appointments and deciphering medical...
May 2026
Recent research highlights breakthroughs in stroke rehabilitation and burn treatment. Emerging technologies such as robotic exoskeletons and AI‑powered telerehabilitation are shortening recovery timelines for stroke survivors. In parallel, advances in bioengineered skin substitutes and targeted home‑safety programs are improving burn...
Trump Picks Nicole Saphier for Surgeon General After Withdrawing Casey Means Nomination
President Donald Trump withdrew Dr. Casey Means’ stalled surgeon‑general nomination and announced Dr. Nicole B. Saphier as his new pick. Saphier, a radiologist and breast‑imaging director at Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Monmouth campus, is known for a wellness podcast and frequent...
We Tried to Get Trump to Back Psychedelic Therapy — Here’s What Happened
The authors drafted a bipartisan policy blueprint to accelerate psychedelic‑based treatments, targeting veterans with PTSD, addiction and depression. After Joe Rogan shared the proposal, it amassed over 1.5 million views on X, prompting meetings with health‑policy influencer Calley Means and a...
The Trump Administration Casts Out the ‘Soul’ of MAHA
President Trump announced on Truth Social that he is withdrawing Casey Means’ nomination for surgeon general, ending the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) push to install a wellness influencer with a controversial health agenda. Means, a former surgical resident turned...
Rep. Langworthy Continues Push for Dietary Supplement Regulatory Uniformity Act
The Dietary Supplement Regulatory Uniformity Act (H.R. 7366) would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prevent states from imposing supplement requirements that conflict with federal law, allowing exemptions only when a state rule is stricter and does not...
Health Canada Publishes Prebiotics Monograph
Health Canada has released a prebiotic monograph that adopts the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) 2017 definition. The document enumerates approved prebiotic ingredients—including inulin, acacia gum, FOS, GOS, XOS, and the human‑milk oligosaccharides 2′‑FL and LNnT—and draws...
Professional Misconduct in Malawi’s Nursing and Midwifery Professions: A Descriptive Study of Trends, Causes and Implications
A descriptive analysis of 102 professional misconduct cases recorded by Malawi’s Nurses and Midwives Council between 2014 and 2024 reveals that negligence dominates, representing 82% of confirmed violations. The infractions are concentrated among nurses and midwives aged 20‑39 with less...
![2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL Goals, Lp(a), and Coronary Calcium Scoring [PODCAST]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://kevinmd.com/wp-content/uploads/baum_thumbnail.png)
2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL Goals, Lp(a), and Coronary Calcium Scoring [PODCAST]
The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association released the 2026 cholesterol guideline, re‑introducing explicit LDL‑C targets for the first time in eight years. The update adds universal lipoprotein (a) screening, designates a coronary calcium score > 300 as a high‑risk marker,...
The Right to Choose to Die
Alvin Roth, Nobel‑winning economist, discusses assisted dying on VoxTalks Economics, framing it as a “repugnant transaction” that markets can regulate. He outlines the legal landscape—12 U.S. states and D.C., Canada, and Switzerland—where medical aid‑in‑dying (MAID) is permitted under varying criteria....
Ozempic Cuts Drinking in Obese AUD Patients
First randomized trial to show Ozempic reduces alcohol consumption in people seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder. Placebo-controlled, double-blind. Participants with BMI >30 kg/m2. https://t.co/M9Pk2gzKHD @TheLancet https://t.co/OT660QIn6N
PAMA Laboratory Data Reporting Requirements for Hospitals Are Set to Impact Medicare Lab Payments
Hospitals that run clinical diagnostic labs must report commercial final‑paid claim rates for January‑June 2025 during a May 1‑July 31 window, a requirement under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA). Roughly 2,600 hospitals are subject to the mandate, and the data...
Blue Cross Blue Shield Customers May Soon See Settlement Payments
Blue Cross Blue Shield’s $2.67 b antitrust settlement has moved to the final distribution phase, with the net $1.9 b fund slated for payouts beginning May 2026. The settlement resolves claims that the insurer’s network limited competition, allegedly inflating premiums for millions of...
GLP-1s Reduce Heavy Drinking Days in Patients With Obesity, Alcohol Use Disorder
A randomized, double‑blind trial in Copenhagen found that once‑weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg significantly reduced heavy‑drinking days in patients with alcohol use disorder and obesity. Over 26 weeks, the semaglutide group saw a 41.1‑percentage‑point drop in heavy‑drinking days versus 26.4 points for...
Sabra CEO: Skilled Nursing Deal Flow Tight Amid Fierce Competition From OpCo and PropCo Private Buyers
Sabra Health Care REIT is pivoting away from skilled‑nursing assets toward its Seniors Housing Operating Portfolio (SHOP), with private‑pay revenue now representing over 50% of the portfolio for the first time. The CEO said skilled‑nursing deal flow remains tight as...
From Prototype to Production: Building a Validation Strategy That Scales with Manufacturing Volume
Medical device manufacturers must redesign validation strategies as prototypes transition to full‑scale production. Early validation plans often ignore equipment wear, multi‑shift operation, and material lot diversity that emerge at higher volumes. Regulatory bodies like the FDA and ISO 13485 only require...
Ivermectin Can't Cure Cancer
A new preprint circulating online alleges that a combination of ivermectin and mebendazole can cure cancer, a claim promoted by the unregulated Wellness Company. The paper is a survey of patients at the company’s clinics and offers no clinical trial...
Trump Withdraws Surgeon General Pick: Why & What’s Next For MAHA?
President Donald Trump withdrew Dr. Casey Means’ nomination for U.S. Surgeon General after a stalled Senate HELP Committee hearing and announced board‑certified radiologist Dr. Nicole Saphier as his replacement. Means, a functional‑medicine advocate with an inactive medical license, faced bipartisan...
Trump Nominates Fox News Doctor to Be the Next Surgeon General
President Donald Trump withdrew Casey Means’ surgeon‑general nomination after Senate resistance and announced Fox News radiologist Nicole B. Saphier as his replacement. Means, a wellness influencer with an incomplete residency and anti‑vaccine reputation, faced objections from Republican chair Bill Cassidy....
Daily Bulletin...
President Donald Trump formally withdrew Dr. Casey Means’ nomination for U.S. Surgeon General after the Senate stalled her confirmation. In her place, the White House tapped Fox News health commentator Nicole Saphier as the new nominee. Means, a former COVID‑19...
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Affordable Care Act (ACA): What It Is, Key Features, and Updates
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), signed in March 2010, created a nationwide health‑insurance marketplace, expanded Medicaid eligibility, and barred insurers from denying coverage for pre‑existing conditions. It mandates essential health benefits and offers premium tax credits that lower costs for low‑...