Medicare Finalizes Doc Pay Cut; Mask Mandates Return; Top Voter Concerns

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CMS finalized a proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule that includes a 2.8% payment cut for physicians. Stay tuned to MedPage Today for more details.

Legendary musician Quincy Jones died at age 91. (AP)

The use of artificial intelligence in medicine and brain implants are among the issues and products that the new head of FDA’s device division will need to address. (New York Times)

Speaking of the FDA, the agency added another brand to its list of cinnamon products to avoid due to elevated levels of lead.

And FDA warned against the use of drugs compounded and distributed by California’s Fullerton Wellness — which include semaglutide and tirzepatide — as they may not be sterile.

Adding semaglutide (Wegovy) to standard of care helped improve liver fibrosis and resolve metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in a placebo-controlled phase III trial, Novo Nordisk announced.

A quarter of child deaths following visits to emergency departments may be preventable, researchers found. (JAMA Network Open)

Mask mandates have returned to health facilities in the Bay Area. (MercuryNews)

Maryland became the first state to officially participate in CMS’s AHEAD model, which sets targets for cost growth, quality and equity improvements, population health, and primary care investments. (AP)

Neurodivergence can be a source of strength for athletes, helping them to hyperfocus. (Washington Post)

How long does it take the heart to recover from cigarette smoking? It depends on how long and how much you’ve smoked. (JAMA Network Open)

Abortion ranked third among top voter concerns in the upcoming presidential election, according to a Gallup poll; it was named as most important by 9% of respondents, with the economy (21%) and immigration (13%) cited as the top two issues.

In other election news, three states — Alaska, Missouri, and Nebraska — will vote tomorrow on whether to require employers to offer paid sick leave. (CBS News)

Results of the election could mean major changes for Medicaid. (Stateline)

The NHL players union will form a committee to help players better understand traumatic brain injuries. (AP)

Mpox cases in the Congo may be stabilizing, experts say. (AP)

And polio vaccination is resuming in Gaza. (NPR)

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, a bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers who had been assigned to protect workers during a polio vaccination drive, killing nine people, including five children. (AP)

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