Editor's Note An analysis of trends in body mass index (BMI) and obesity among US adults from 2013 to 2023 reveals a slight but significant decline in obesity prevalence in 2023, marking the first decrease after years of steady increases. The findings are detailed in a December 13 JAMA Health…

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Editor's Note Two recent reports highlight a widening gap in life expectancy between the US and other high-income nations. According to a December 6 article in Healio, the data point to modifiable risk factors and rising obesity rates as key contributors to what experts call a public health crisis. The…

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Editor's Note A Republican-led House subcommittee investigating the COVID-19 pandemic released a 520-page final report summarizing its two-year inquiry, outlining recommendations for future pandemic preparedness and critiquing both US and global responses to the crisis. CNN reported the news December 2. The report concludes that COVID-19 most likely emerged from…

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Editor's Note In a series of interviews with STAT, 11 cardiologists and other clinicians, including the FDA commissioner, said a crisis in primary care is dragging back progress in the nation’s cardiovascular health. Published October 15, the article begins with commentary on a stark warning from the American Heart Association…

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Editor's Note The October 1 vice presidential debate showcased sharp divisions between the candidates on healthcare policy, focusing primarily on the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and reproductive rights. A summary published October 2 in Stat details how Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) proposed changes that could allow insurers…

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Editor's Note Young Juhn, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics, research lab director, and clinical investigator at Mayo Clinic, is opening the OR Business Management Conference today by walking attendees through the Mayo Clinic HOUSES (housing-based socioeconomic status) Program. HOUSES was “developed, validated, and implemented…for measuring individual socioeconomic status based on…

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Editor's Note In an era of social media channels, video sharing, and other new communication methods, traditional verbal or written communication between clinician and patient is inadequate for combating health misinformation, according to the Penn Medical Communication Research Institute. Published December 7 in Jama Network, the researchers’ findings emphasize the…

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Editor's Note The Biden Administration will issue a “Presidential Determination” that will expand the authority of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in order to boost the domestic supply chain for essential medicines, a November 27 HHS press release reports.  The measure will include new investment in domestic…

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Editor's Note Most patients in the US (60%) are comfortable with healthcare organizations sharing their social determinants of health (SDOH) information for treatment purposes, EHR Intelligence October 26 reports. However, the article notes, four in 10 Americans still report hesitation around this data exchange. According to the Health Information National…

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Editor's Note A study from economists and public health officials in the September 2023 issue of the journal American Economic Review: Insights found that when undocumented immigrants were provided assistance to visit primary care doctors via a pilot program, it resulted in a 21% drop in emergency room (ER) use.…

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