Practice Management
Pertussis Deaths Rise, New PCR Test Receives Approval Three infants in Kentucky have died of pertussis this year, including 1 death last week, according to public health officials. None of the infants or their mothers had been vaccinated. As of November 19, 2025, there have been 566 cases of pertussis in the state with additional cases anticipated by the end of the year. Texas has reported the most activity this year with at least 3,500 …
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Not surprisingly, seasonal influenza activity is increasing nationwide, primarily among children and young adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent FluView dashboard reports a 5% rate of positivity for the week ending November 22, 2025, up from 2.9% the week before. Overall, activity is low, however, of the influenza A cases subtyped, H3N2 accounted for 82.3% of them. There is some concern over a variant of H3N2 called subclade K, which is …
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Authorization rules released in Iowa over the summer now provide for an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists in the state, allowing them to diagnose low-risk health conditions, order labs, and prescribe medication. As a result, the Wells Hometown Drug retail pharmacy in Bloomfield, Iowa, recently opened its new walk-in clinic, led by a pharmacist who is able to see patients 6 years and older without physician oversight. The pharmacist-led model was enabled by Iowa’s …
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Just as more evidence is emerging that supports exposure to peanuts for young children as a way to avoid future peanut allergies, a study presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) found that an epicutaneous patch continued to build peanut tolerance over 3 years, according to a press release. The immunotherapy patch delivers small amounts of peanut protein through the skin, slowly building tolerance and reducing …
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Use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) may be associated with chronic cough, as published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. A large study of more than 2 million people with type 2 diabetes across 70 healthcare organizations suggests that adults prescribed a GLP-1RA had a 12% higher risk for developing a new cough persisting for more than 8 weeks, compared with people prescribed other medications, including dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) …
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New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of a rise in drug-resistant gonorrhea worldwide. According to a news release from the agency’s Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Program, resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime—2 first-line antibiotics for gonorrhea—has increased. From 2022 to 2024, ceftriaxone resistance rose from 0.8% to 5%, while cefixime resistance rose from 1.7% to 11%. Resistance to azithromycin, which is often used alongside ceftriaxone or cefixime, also increased from 0.5% to 4%, …
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The healthcare industry was among the few sectors to post job gains in the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting. Healthcare added 43,000 jobs in September, keeping pace with its ongoing growth for the year. Ambulatory categories accounted for the highest gain, adding more than 23,000 positions in the market. Future forecast: Against the backdrop of the aging of America, health service demand is likely to remain high, and as a result, related job …
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Anticipated updates for asthma treatment guidelines are shifting away from oral or systemic corticosteroids because of increasing evidence of long-term harm. Negative effects can come from even short, intermittent use, according to coverage in MedPage Today of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting. Studies show that as few as 3 or 4 steroid bursts over a lifetime may lead to side effects such as bone loss, metabolic disorders, and adrenal suppression. The …
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A 5-year study that was presented this month at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology finds that thunderstorms can trigger measurable increases in asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits. Researchers analyzed 4,439 asthma-related visits across 3 hospitals in Kansas from January 2020 to December 2024, during which time, they identified 38 thunderstorm days. Data showed the mean number of admissions on storm days (17.91) was significantly higher than on …
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Smartwatches do a good job of identifying atrial fibrillation, according to a meta-analysis in JACC. The authors considered data from 26 studies that included 17,349 participants and found that smartwatches detect atrial fibrillation with high accuracy. Overall sensitivity was 94.8%, and specificity was 96.4%. The accuracy of the results varied when comparing each individual device, however. According to the authors, Amazfit (99% sensitivity; 99% specificity) and Samsung (97% sensitivity; 96% specificity) models performed at the …
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