Prior exposures to specific types of seasonal influenza viruses promote cross-reactive immunity against the H5N1 avian influenza virus, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Older adults who were exposed to seasonal flu viruses that circulated prior to 1968 were found to be more likely to have antibodies that bound to the H5N1 avian flu virus.
A majority of the more than 200 resident physicians at Hennepin Healthcare announced their intent to unionize on Wednesday, joining a wave of organizing campaigns by doctors and advanced health care providers across the country.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law Senate Bill 139, now Act 232, which amends the state's non-compete statute to provide that non-compete covenants that "restrict the right of a physician to practice within the physician's scope of practice" are void. The term "physician" includes any person authorized or licensed to practice medicine under the Arkansas Medical Practice Act and any person licensed to practice osteopathy under Arkansas law. The Act will take effect 90 days after adjournment of the current legislative session, likely resulting in a mid-July 2025 effective date.
The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to bring its new Federal Electronic Health Records system to nine more medical centers in 2026 than previously announced. The program, which has suffered multiple setbacks since it was first introduced in the Pacific Northwest in late 2020, was to restart at four sites in Michigan in 2026. However, following meetings between the VA, medical center personnel and Oracle Health, the company that designed the system, more sites will be added in locations that will be determined following an in-depth analysis.
President Donald Trump's pick to lead CMS will likely face questions during his confirmation hearing today about his past support of expanding the Medicare Advantage program as well as his financial ties to the industry he will be tasked with overseeing.
More than 2,000 positions related to global health are being cut from the Johns Hopkins University after the Baltimore institution saw $800 million in federal grants disappear, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday. Hopkins' medical school; the Bloomberg School of Public Health, including its Center for Communication Programs; and JHPIEGO, the university's health initiative that focuses on global public health, will be affected by the cuts. USAID was the main funder for both JHPIEGO and CCP.