Several hospitals and healthcare facilities have closed their clinics and offices in the southern California area as the devastating wildfires continue to spread. Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest healthcare systems in California, announced it has closed seven of its medical offices and clinics so far due to the fires and high winds.
Hospital operator Prospect Medical Holdings, a large tenant of the biggest hospital landlord in the U.S., is working with restructuring advisers to explore options to address its financial challenges, according to people familiar with the company. The closely held hospital chain with facilities in states including California, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Connecticut has struggled financially for years and recently skipped rent payments owed to landlord Medical Properties Trust, a publicly traded healthcare real-estate investment trust. Prospect faces pressure from regulators in several states over its financial troubles and the deteriorating conditions at its facilities.
Enrollment of Black and Hispanic students in medical schools dropped precipitously last year after the Supreme Court banned the consideration of race in admissions, according to data released Thursday by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The number of Black enrollees fell by 11.6% compared to last year, while the number of Hispanic enrollees decreased 10.8%. The numbers were even starker for Indigenous students; the number of American Indian or Alaska Natives dropped by 22.1%, while students who were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders dropped by 4.3%.
More than 15,000 doctors across the country signed an open letter urging senators to vote against President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of HHS: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In the letter, physicians say they are "appalled" by Trump's "reckless" appointment of Kennedy, arguing he would be "dangerous" if confirmed to the top public health post.
Some social media policy experts and public health experts are worried that the end of fact-checking could lead to the spread of medical and science misinformation and disinformation. This is especially worrisome as the U.S. is in the throes of respiratory virus season and is fighting the spread of bird flu.
A doctor has shared a shocking story of how UnitedHealthcare stopped a cancer surgery to ask if it was medically necessary in a new Instagram video. Elisabeth Potter, a doctor based in Austin, Texas, created a video on Instagram detailing her experience treating a cancer patient and what she said were the roadblocks UnitedHealthcare put up during a surgery procedure. UnitedHealthcare told Newsweek: 'There are no insurance related circumstances that would require a physician to step out of surgery and it would create potential safety risks if they were to do so.'