Perchance to Dream

Most prior-auth denials are never appealed. In Medicare Advantage, only 11.7% of denied requests were appealed in 2023 — and when patients did appeal, 81.7% were overturned. The friction is the point: deny, and bank on people not fighting back. kff.org

Remember when RFK Jr. unilaterally decided that COVID19 vaccines should no longer be recommended during pregnancy? Well, COVID19 increases the risk of preeclampsia. And it turns out that getting boosted, either before or during pregnancy, significantly reduces the risk of preeclampsia.

#medsky

Reporter: The FDA has a new AI tool that's intended to speed up drug approvals. But several FDA employees say the new AI helper is making up studies that do not exist. One FDA employee telling us, 'Anything that you don't have time to double check is unreliable. It hallucinates confidently'

Zia, an Afghan interpreter who risked his life to help U.S. troops, is being detained by ICE in Massachusetts. He's been living in the U.S. LEGALLY for fear of retribution if he returns to Afghanistan. Targeting Zia and other Afghan allies is dangerous and wrong.

100,000 U.S. patients a year feel significant pain during C-sections and hardly anyone knows about it. Here’s some information, not to freak you out, or to saddle you with the burden of addressing this problem, but to help you get the care you deserve. https://trib.al/wamJuju

The American Academy of Pediatricians bluntly telling us the current CDC can't be trusted, and of course they are absolutely correct publications.aap.org/aapnews/news...

EXCLUSIVE — The Onion has a full-page ad in today’s NYT featuring part of an editorial calling out congressional fecklessness towards Trump. They also sent a copy of their latest issue to every lawmaker. My report, with an excerpt from the full editorial: www.thehandbasket.co/p/exclusive-...

We are imposing tariffs on WHOLLY UNINHABITED antarctic islands in this list (Heard and McDonald). The administration asserts—and Forbes reprints this uncritically—those islands have charged 10% tariffs on US goods that it needs to respond to. www.forbes.com/sites/mollyb...

No bone spurs detected.

Doesn't know what AI is, doesn't know what duplicitous means, doesn't know what the CDC does.

👇🏻👇🏻

::taps sign::

Thank you, @richard.medsky.social I have a new medsky handle.

Dr. Archbold is preparing to strike for fully staffed hospitals, pay parity between hospitals, and reasonable benefits that don't degrade every year. "They are cutting benefits, cutting pay, and cutting time with patients while wasting frontline doctors' time with bad-faith bargaining."

Dr. Archbold highlighted that, just like how Amazon employs drivers, H+H hires doctors through opaque sub-contracts. This structure creates a lack of accountability and is rife with poor benefits, sub-market pay, and pay gaps between hospitals.

Dr. Archbold isn't alone. Mt. Sinai and other affiliates cut benefits yearly to Elmhurst doctors without consulting them. Moreover, as patient numbers soar, experienced doctors are quitting, diminishing patient care and quality for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

Dr. Archbold began working at Elmhurst in 2019. In 2020, he was diagnosed with acute Leukemia after being a frontline doctor at the COVID-19 epicenter. The most stressful part? Getting his health insurance, provided by an H+H private affiliate, to cover his cancer treatment.

NYC doctors are preparing to potentially strike w/ @doctorscouncilseiu.bsky.social on 1/21. Today, I'm sharing the story of Dr. Damien Archbold. Dr. Archbold, a Queens resident & anesthesiologist at Elmhurst Hospital, has served communities globally, including Gaza, Honduras, & remote Australia.

“For my next attention seeking trick, I will have you concentrate on Greenland, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Panama Canal—instead of my absurdly unqualified cabinet picks or that I have no real plans to fix the border or bring down food prices. Look, America, a rabbit!”

www.cnn.com/2025/01/06/h... #medsky

A police officer defended the Capitol from violent rioters on Jan. 6. With President-elect Donald Trump poised to pardon the rioters, he now asks, "what did I risk my life for?" via @tomdreisbach.bsky.social

waiting to see if that Cybertruck will be spun as a terrorist attack or a design innovation

This is so spot-on it’s scary.

#medsky #ansky

I understand Elon Musk is trying to get people to stop donating to Wikipedia, which reminded me that I hadn't yet made my usual annual donation to Wikipedia, so now that's been taken care of

"I pity the fool who doesn't know that the job of the anaesthesiologist is to protect the patient from the optimism of the surgeon." - Nobel Prize-winning anaesthesiologist, Mr T. #AnSky #MedSky

Going to hold the first academic medicine decathlon with the following events: 1. Clear email inbox 2. Clear clinic inbox 3. Fill out all evaluations 4. Write 2 letters of rec 5. Click through a colleague's credentialing evaluation 6. Schedule and complete TB test (continued)

76% of surveyed obgyns said they could no longer offer evidence-based medicine in Texas. That’s a staggering percentage.

Don’t know who made this, but I love it. #Ansky #medsky

editorial from @bmj.com and paper: Poor staff retention is associated with higher patient mortality. Have said it before & I’ll say it again. If you don’t care for the carers, they cannot care for their patients. www.bmj.com/content/387/...

Optimist: The cup is half full Pessimist: The cup is half empty Engineer: The cup is twice as large as it needed to be

Did you know that by substituting your morning coffee with green tea, you can eliminate up to 93% of what little joy you have left?

Saw this on the wall of our beloved @drawstickpeople.bsky.social and had to share.

Any healthcare worker watching the first 3 minutes of "The Conclave" will have one overriding thought - "I can get a 16 gauge into that hand, no problem" #MedSky