E.P.A. Targets Microplastics and Drugs in Drinking Water

Hiroko Tabuchi and Maxine Joselow / nytimes - The move drew praise from leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement who had recently criticized the agency’s handling of toxic chemicals.

AI Summary: Federal agencies are moving from polite warnings to action on contaminants people actually drink. The EPA is targeting microplastics and trace pharmaceuticals in drinking water, while ARPA‑H is pouring funding into health-impact studies, and other agencies are considering formal contaminant designations to force testing, cleanup and new standards. Small particles, big headache.

#pharmaceuticals #publichealth #governmentpolicy #researchfunding

High prenatal exposure to PFAS may increase the risk of childhood asthma

7 wks / medicalxpress

Study links PFAS exposure to weaker immune response, underscoring need for water protections

7 wks / medicalxpress

Caffeine, Cocaine, and Painkillers Found in Sharks in the Bahamas — A Sign of Human Pollution Reaching Marine Predators

7 wks / discovermagazine

'They are literally everywhere': The shocking story of how forever chemicals polluted the world

7 wks / livescience

How one 'forever chemical' can disrupt a baby's facial development

1 month / medicalxpress

Children living near the Salton Sea in Southern California show slower lung function growth

1 month / medicalxpress

Microplastics and pharmaceuticals designated as contaminants in drinking water

1 month / abcnews

ARPA-H targets microplastics with $144M health initiative

1 month / beckershospitalreview / Mackenzie Bean

E.P.A. Targets Microplastics and Drugs in Drinking Water

1 month / nytimes / Hiroko Tabuchi and Maxine Joselow

AI scribe adoption linked to modest reductions in EHR, documentation time: study

Emily Olsen / healthcaredive - Clinicians’ use of an AI scribe was associated with 13 fewer minutes each day inside electronic health records and 16 fewer minutes on documenting patient care, according to the research published in JAMA.

AI Summary: A multi‑site study found adoption of AI medical scribes yields small but consistent reductions in electronic health record documentation and clinician charting time. Hospitals reported time savings and workflow adjustments, but gains were modest — enough to raise eyebrows, not replace human scribes or magic.

#healthcare #digitalhealth #hospitaloperations #healthcarefinance

Companies push AI beyond notes — coding, decision support, geriatric assessments (3)
Frontline adoption: health systems pilot ambient AI, Epic integration underway (5)
Multisite study finds AI scribes slightly cut clinicians' EHR time (3)
All Other Stories

Companies push AI beyond notes — coding, decision support, geriatric assessments

Christopher Steer: Conversational AI as a Means to Perform a Geriatric Assessment

1 month / oncodaily

Can AI manage an entire medical decision process?

1 month / medicalxpress

Corti's releases agentic model for medical coding, says it outperforms OpenAI, Anthropic

1 month / fiercehealthcare

Group sues CMS for details on Medicare AI prior authorization pilot

Andrew Cass / beckershospitalreview - Digital rights advocacy organization the Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against CMS seeking information on how the AI algorithms work in its traditional Medicare prior authorization pilot. CMS’ Wasteful and I…

AI Summary: A coalition of tech and privacy groups has sued CMS seeking detailed records about a Medicare pilot that uses AI to automate prior authorization decisions. Plaintiffs argue the agency failed to provide transparency on algorithms, data inputs and patient safeguards, demanding documents to assess legal, safety and fairness risks before the program expands.

#healthcare #publichealth #governmentpolicy #digitalhealth #healthcarefinance #healthdisparities

Proposed CMS rule would set prior auth deadlines for drugs

7 wks / fiercehealthcare

CMS proposes extension of prior authorization rule to cover drugs: 6 notes

7 wks / beckershospitalreview / Jakob Emerson

Watch: As AI Makes More Health Coverage Decisions, the Risks to Patients Grow

7 wks / kffhealthnews / Darius Tahir and Hannah Norman, KFF Health News

Researchers urge stronger safeguards for health and medical science information

7 wks / medicalxpress

Insurers have Cut Prior Auth by 11% Following Commitments

7 wks / medcitynews / Marissa Plescia

Nixing prior auth, outlier hospital bills could lower health costs, Center for American Progress' policy plan says