first opinion
Real doctor-to-doctor conversations could improve prior authorization
ADOBE
When an insurance company doctor calls spine surgeon Matthew Walker to ask about a procedure he's requested, to determine whether they'll cover the costs for the patient, it often feels like talking to a brick wall, Walker writes. He can tell that the distant voice — a physician, yes, but rarely a surgeon, nevermind a spine surgeon — is simply fulfilling a box-checking exercise so that coverage can be denied.
Given this perspective, you might assume that Walker is in favor of abolishing prior authorization, which requires this doctor-to-doctor "conversation." But in a new First Opinion essay, Walker says he's not against it at all. He simply wishes that those "peer-to-peer" conversations took place with a true peer. "Spine surgeon to spine surgeon, oncologist to oncologist, physical therapist to physical therapist," he writes. Read more from Walker on how he believes prior authorization could be improved.
research
Scientists known for using computer science in biology set sights on Goldilocks drugs
University of Washington professor David Baker made a name for himself when his lab built a powerful protein-folding prediction system, one step toward designing better drug candidates using artificial intelligence. Now, the lab has turned its sights on a prized class of so-called macrocycle drug candidates, Goldilocks molecules that are just the right size. They can be taken orally and pass through membranes, reaching important proteins inside the cell — but can also target receptors that usually require bigger molecules like antibodies.
Many of these drugs are derived from compounds found in nature, like bacteria or fungi. But Baker's new research, published yesterday in Science, details a computational method to quickly compile hordes of candidates. The library "is a huge expansion of what would have existed previously," one expert told STAT's Brittany Trang. Read more on how Baker's team once again used AI to push the boundaries of drug discovery.
als
Former NFL player with ALS writes a memoir with his eyes
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a merciless disease with few available treatments, despite advocacy from patients and caretakers and promising work from scientists. Just last month, the community received the crushing news that Amylyx's drug Relyvrio failed to beat placebo treatment in a study after it had already received FDA authorization. Perhaps it was the long shadow of that disappointment that made it so heartening to read an interview with former NFL player Steve Gleason, in the New York Times' "By the Book" column, about his experience writing his almost 300-page memoir with technology that lets him type with his eye movements.
It was an emotional, grueling experience to write the book, Gleason said. "I type so slowly that the wonderful idea that was so vivid and clear eventually slipped into the fog as I trudged and typed." But if the beautiful way he spoke about reading and listening to audiobooks with his children outside in the sun is any indication of the writing in the book, those ideas were surely captured. I highly recommend the interview.
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