🚨 Many believe GPOs are corporate shells created for the purpose of hiding the amount of rebates PBMs receive. The FTC is asking questions, announcing today it's requiring these entities to provide information and records on their business practices. ftc.gov/news-events/ne…

I wish horrible things on everyone who works in insurance. This is from my kids appendectomy.

Latest paper from Dr Robin Kerr & me: #LongCovid is primarily a Spike protein Induced Thrombotic Vasculitis researchsquare.com/article/rs-293… Here we proposed that long covid is primarily a spike protein-induced thrombotic vasculitis, & we use Robin as a supporting case study 🧵 #TeamClots

I'm saddened not to see a single mask from the Alzheimer's Society's annual conference When C 19 both causes and exacerbates dementia

In this study, brain fog and symptom severity in neuropathic POTS were associated with excessive plasma norepinephrine levels. Chugging 500mL of water reduced plasma norepinephrine levels and improved general symptom severity, including brain fog. frontiersin.org/articles/10.33…

New data: Long hours (≥60 per week) & extended shifts (≥24 hours) pose a danger to patient safety & to residents. The combination has a synergistic effect, amplifying medical errors, car crashes, and needle sticks. It’s time to rethink the way we’ve always done things.

20% of previously stable patients surveyed at high risk for stroke or PE stopped taking their anticoagulant after a certain PBM 😏 removed their very common blood thinner from formulary last year. Patient protections are desperately needed to prevent harms. #CardioTwitter

At an academic conference this am, I poured coffee outside a meeting before I entered. I was informed that the coffee was only for attendees. I stated “I’m an attendee.” “No, I mean only the surgeons.” I’m wearing a conference badge and dressed professionally. #TheFaceOfCTSurgery

.CVS Health PBM shows its true colors as CEO Shawn Guertin threatens to charge higher Rx prices if reforms lower its revenues. Basically that if we curb secret rebates, CVS will find another way to extract $$ from patients/payers. Not good actors. statnews.com/2023/05/31/cvs…

You could drive an entire convoy through this 'good faith estimate' for my medical appointment. Thanks for helping patients budget ahead?🤷‍♀️

A month ago my doc says I need to be on a blood thinner. We had some trouble finding one that @Carefirst would cover. On third or fourth try they decided I could have Eliquis for $50 a month. Ok fine. I went back just now for a refill and now it’s $577. Thanks? @Carefirst

✅ Checklist for the new #EULAR2023 #Recommendations ✍️ for the treatment of systemic #Lupus, as presented by Boumpas 📺 last week for the taskforce 💪 We have been working VERY HARD to update & improve these reco compared to the previous ones (2019) 👍 #RheumTwitter #MedTwitter

Here's how anticoagulant noncompliance can happen despite a patient having 'good insurance coverage'. One patient's 30 day cost for Eliquis w/ CVS Caremark went from $50 last month to $537.12 this month. How many at-risk cardio patients would walk away without the refill?

Find out how an aspiring surgeon’s creativity — and an ensuing collaboration between Jacobs School at University at Buffalo & UBuffalo Engineering and Applied Sciences — led to novel 3D-printed finger braces for health care professionals who have hypermobility in their joints. » Full story: buff.ly/43OYCFn #UBuffalo

US pregnancy related mortality rate (ie the chance that a woman will die due to pregnancy related causes): 1980s: 7/ 100,000 1990s: 10/ 100,000 2010s: 17/ 100,000 2020: 23/ 100,000 2021: 33/ 100,000 🤯😞

Congratulations to our friends at STAT Health, who launched their new ear device today that can track heart rate, blood flow to the head, body position & more! We are super excited to see tech companies developing tools for the #dysautonomia community! cnbc.com/2023/06/13/sta…

NEW: Human Rights Watch has long called attention to the victims of war and political repression the world over. Now it's taking aim at U.S. hospitals for pushing millions of American patients into debt. #DiagnosisDebt 📝: Noam Levey kffhealthnews.org/news/article/h…

This is so important. The last thing we need is to add a chronic disease like long Covid on top of lupus or Sjogren's. I wear an N95 to my appointments. I should not have to ask HCWs to do this too, but I do. Vaccines are important but not enough. 🙏for your example