Your weekly roundup of STAT's First Opinion

Expert opinion and perspective, curated by Patrick Skerrett ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

The second day of a new year may not be as exciting as the first, but it still offers great promise for the 364 days ahead. First Opinion authors kicked off 2022 with an essay on the No surprises Act, which went into effect on Jan. 1, and ended 2021 with essays on blitzscaling in mental health tech, the toll taken by deaths of despair, and more. You can read them all here. Onward to a new year! The No Surprises Act: Beyond the emergency department, a silver lining of patient engagement By Stacy Bratcher Don Petersen/AP Beyond prohibiting surprise medical bills, the No Surprises Act also says patients must be given good-faith estimates before receiving care. Read More The blind spots of blitzscaling in mental health tech By Tarun Galagali and Leonard Schlesinger Adobe Being attentive to blind spots in mental health tech, or not blitzscaling, can help entrepreneurs or investors be successful in this sphere. Read More Deaths of despair: the unrecognized tragedy of working class immiseration By David Introcaso ADOBE Given the well-documented correlation between income and health, HHS's lack of response to deaths of despair is beyond understanding. Read More Sponsor content by STAT+ Biopharma breakthroughs, business, and policy analysis ⁠— at your fingertips Enjoy daily, market-moving analysis of the biotech, pharma, and life sciences industries with STAT Plus. Our award-winning team covers news on Wall Street, policy developments in Washington, early science breakthroughs and clinical trial results, and health care disruption in Silicon Valley and beyond. Don't be the last to know. Subscribe today to start reading. My son will be fine, she told the doctors, because he is the Lord God Jesus Christ By Christopher Hartnick Adobe A doctor's story became a parable that helped answer a mother's Bible-based assertion that her son was cursed, not infected with a virus. Read More STAT+: Building a better on-ramp for health innovation By Laurent Levy Alex Hogan/STAT, ADOBE The process exists to help more great innovations reach their potential. Now it's time to build the system to support it. Read More Nuclear Regulatory Commission's foot-dragging on patient irradiation suggests regulatory capture By Daniel Fass FRED TANNEAU/AFP via Getty Images The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's reluctance to change a reporting rule on extravasation is at odds with science and patient safety. Read More Sunday, January 2, 2022       1 Exchange Pl, Suite 201, Boston, MA 02109 ©2022, All Rights Reserved. I no longer wish to receive STAT emails Update Email Preferences | Contact Us | View In Browser