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President Biden will not veto a Republican-backed resolution to terminate the national emergency declaration related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the White House. The resolution introduced by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, aims to end the emergency declaration that has been in place since March 2020 and has allowed for the allocation of federal resources to address the pandemic.

A federal judge has struck down a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, which requires health insurers to cover preventive care services without cost sharing. The ruling applies to the provision that mandates coverage for contraception, and the judge said the requirement violates the religious beliefs of plaintiffs who brought the case against the federal government.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has added liraglutide, a medication used to treat diabetes and obesity, to its list of essential medicines. The drug is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist that helps control blood sugar levels and promotes weight loss, and the WHO's decision is expected to make it more accessible to people in low- and middle-income countries.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating a salmonella outbreak that has been linked to raw flour. The agency has identified 14 cases of salmonella infection in six states, and preliminary testing suggests that the source of the outbreak is flour produced by a single mill in Kansas. The CDC is warning people not to eat raw dough or batter made with flour, and to follow safety instructions when handling flour to avoid contamination.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is helping Reps. Sheila CherfilusMcCormick, D-Fla. and Bill Posey, R-Fla. push for a bill that would require schools to have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on hand in case of cardiac emergencies. The bill has already passed through the Assembly Education Committee and aims to ensure that schools have the necessary equipment to potentially save the lives of students or staff members who experience sudden cardiac arrest. The proposed legislation would also require schools to have staff trained in CPR and AED use.

United Nations food chief warns of starvation, migration, and international destabilization without billions invested

The United Nations food chief, David Beasley, has warned that billions of dollars are needed to avoid widespread unrest and starvation as a result of the global economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beasley emphasized the need for the world's wealthiest nations to step up and fund humanitarian aid to avoid mass migration, destabilized countries, and starving children and adults in the next 12 to 18 months.

• Beasley stated that the pandemic has worsened the already dire food insecurity situation in these regions, leading to an increase in conflict and displacement, and called for urgent action from the international community. The UN's World Food Programme, which Beasley leads, aims to reach 138 million people worldwide in 2023, but funding shortfalls threaten this goal. Beasley has urged governments and philanthropists to provide the necessary funds to avoid an even worse humanitarian crisis.
  
  
• Beasley would be surprised if the WFP reaches 40% of its $23 billion goal to help millions. Last year, $14.2 billion raised by the WFP served over 128 million people in more than 120 countries and territories.
  
  
• Last year, the United States and Germany rose to the occasion and drastically increased their donations, leading to doubt that they will repeat the extra effort this year. China and Gulf countries, who benefit from high oil prices, have been called out to do more in this worldwide humanitarian effort.

World Food Program chief David Beasley states: “The world has to understand that the next 12 to 18 months is critical, and if we back off the funding, you will have mass migration, and you will have destabilization nations and that will all be on top of starvation among children and people around the world,” he warned. He added "it’s not too much to ask some of the multibillionaires to step up and help us in the short-term crisis,” in which he refers to “the world’s greatest need – and that is food on the planet to feed 8 billion people.”

New Patient vs. Established Patient: A Comprehensive Guide for Healthcare Providers

Identifying a patient’s status as new or established is a critical component of healthcare billing and coding practices. Healthcare providers and their billing staff must understand the definitions and guidelines set forth by insurance companies and government agencies. By accurately identifying a patient’s status, providers can ensure proper billing practices, minimize potential complications, and maximize reimbursement.

Visit our NPI Lookup Tool to easily search for physician, other medical practitioner and organization NPI numbers and access to Extended Provider Datasets. This tool combines data from the NPPES NPI Registry, along with other credible sources. To learn more about this tool, click here.

Is your NPI number accurate?

Keeping this information up-to-date is critical since it is used across several healthcare systems.

Use our service to make updates.

Setting our sights on soaring gun violence

Following another senseless and tragic school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, this week we will take a closer look at some staggering statistics and stories surrounding the gun violence epidemic of the United States.

Key takeaways

• The issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation examines the mortality rates of children and teenagers due to firearms in the United States compared to other peer countries. It finds that the U.S. has the highest firearm mortality rate among children and teens of any high-income peer country, with 85% of all firearm deaths of children and teens occurring in the U.S. The brief also notes that most of these deaths are due to homicide, and that firearm homicide rates among U.S. youth are 25 times higher than other peer countries. The report emphasizes the importance of policies to prevent firearm-related deaths among children and teens, including universal background checks for firearm purchases, safe storage laws, and addressing the root causes of violence.
  
  
• The number of children and teens seeking emergency department care for firearm-related injuries rose by 31% from 2016 to 2021, according to a new study. The study also found that more than 80% of the visits were made by male patients, and more than half of the visits were made by people between the ages of 15 and 19. The study authors suggest that healthcare providers should routinely assess for firearm access and provide education about safe firearm storage to prevent these injuries.
  

By the digits

• 19% of childhood deaths aged 1-18 were attributed to firearms in 2021.
  
  
• Nearly 3,600 children died in gun-related incidents in 2021 alone.
  
  
• 130 mass shootings so far in 2023 and the 16th shooting this year in grades K-12.
  
  
• 1,170 weekly emergency hospital visits for firearm injuries recorded in 2022. Of those 1,170 visits in 2022, on average, infants to 14-year-olds made up about 40 of those visits.
  
  
• 79% and 53% are the respective rates of homicides and suicides in the U.S. involving firearms in 2022 alone.

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A 30-year-old woman comes to the office because of a 3-day history of joint pain in her hands and a rash over her chest and arms that is slowly resolving. The joint pain in her hands has persisted and is exacerbated by writing or typing. She rates the pain as a 3 on a 10-point scale. The patient is a preschool teacher and reports that one of her students had a facial rash and fever 1 week prior to the development of her symptoms. The patient's medical history is unremarkable and her only medication is an oral contraceptive. She is in a monogamous relationship with her husband. She does not smoke cigarettes, drink alcoholic beverages, or use illicit drugs. BMI is 22 kg/m2. Vital signs are temperature 38.1°C (100.5°F), pulse 94/min, respirations 18/min, and blood pressure 107/58 mm Hg. Physical examination discloses a blanching, erythematous, papular rash on the anterior chest and proximal upper extremities. The first and second metacarpophalangeal joints of both hands are tender and swollen. The wrist joints also are tender to palpation but there is minimal swelling.
Which of the following microorganisms is most likely to have caused this patient's symptoms?

A large international study has found that moderate drinking, defined as up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women, is not associated with better health outcomes than abstaining from alcohol altogether. The findings suggest that there is no "safe" level of alcohol consumption when it comes to overall health.

Researchers have identified a possible cause of an outbreak of severe liver damage among children in the US. The study found that exposure to a toxin produced by blue-green algae was associated with the cases of hepatotoxicity, which can cause liver failure and even death.

New research suggests that migraines and cluster headaches may be linked to disruptions in the body's internal clock, which regulates sleep and other bodily functions. The study found that people with these types of headaches have changes in the expression of genes involved in the body's circadian rhythm, which may provide insights into the development of new treatments for these conditions.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a level 3 travel notice, advising against nonessential travel to areas in Uganda and Kenya where a Marburg virus outbreak is occurring. Marburg is a rare but deadly virus in the same family as Ebola, and the CDC is urging people to take precautions to prevent infection, including avoiding contact with sick people and animals and practicing good hygiene.

Thank you for reading! More next week,

My best wishes for a productive and idea-filled week ahead. Thanks for your ongoing efforts to improve the lives of the patients we all serve. Please send any news, comments, suggestions and ideas to hello@morningmed.email.

Quiz answer: The correct answer is D) "Parvovirus B19"

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