Kids and accidental THC ingestion; 'black swan' events for pandemic detection; the next epidemic may be here but the U.S. isn't ready for it

Expert opinion and perspective curated by First Opinion editor Patrick Skerrett ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

Happy 246th birthday, United States of America! You have had quite a wild ride. This week in First Opinion, authors explored "black swan" events and pandemics, Medicare's outdated wheelchair coverage, U.S. readiness for the next pandemic (not so good), and more. THC ingestion by young kids highlights the need to tighten inadequate packaging regulations By Linda Richter Gene Johnson/AP Loopholes that let companies market THC edibles in ways that mirror the packaging of popular child-appealing food brands need to be closed. Read More Looking for 'black swan' outbreaks can prepare for future pandemics By Nileena Velappan Adobe Identifying common features among black swan outbreaks can serve as warning signs of future pandemics or unusually devastating outbreaks. Read More Wheelchair users live outside the home, not just inside. Medicare policies need to acknowledge that By Barry Dean Kiersten Hanna Medicare needs to update its 2005 wheelchair policies to give people healthier, safer lives outside their homes as well as inside them. Read More Sponsor content by STAT+ This 4th of July, access indispensable insights for 25% off At STAT, our mission is to deliver trusted journalism that examines controversies and punctures hype. This Independence Day, get 25% off everything STAT has to offer — including STAT+, STAT Reports, and the 2022 STAT Summit. Learn more at statnews.com/fourth. The next epidemic may be here. The U.S. isn't ready for it By David C. Harvey NIAID Monkeypox isn't technically a sexually transmitted infection, but looks and acts like one and has the same barriers to detection and treatment. Read More How the Dobbs decision changed my research on reproductive health technology By Catherine M. Klapperich Adobe How researchers design technologies related to reproductive health underwent a cataclysmic shift with the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision. Read More Now is not the time for Congress to further cut hospitals' Medicare payments By Cliff A. Megerian and Peter Pronovost Adobe Hospitals will have trouble getting back to some semblance of normal with the 1% cut in Medicare payments slated to go into effect July 1. Read More Improve CDC's quarantine stations to prevent the next pandemic By Michele Barry and Lawrence O. Gostin Rick Bowmer/ AP Photo To prevent future pandemics, the CDC needs to upgrade the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine and its network of quarantine stations. Read More Mainstream medicine must embrace palliative care services By John Mulder FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images Clinicians should embrace the benefits of palliative care for patients with serious illnesses instead of seeing this care as an afterthought. Read More PBMs are inflating the cost of generic drugs. They must be reined in By Erin E. Trish and Karen Van Nuys and Robert Popovian Adobe Americans are paying too much for generic drugs due to a payment system that is being manipulated by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Read More FDA: Don't rush a move to change the Covid-19 vaccine composition By John P. Moore and Paul A. Offit Adobe Everyone would gain from having deeper insights into the performance of Covid-19 vaccines based on the Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2. Read More Sunday, July 3, 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