The Labor and Treasury departments, along with HHS, have indicated they might not enforce a rule limiting short-term health insurance to three months, potentially allowing policies to last up to 36 months, as was permitted during the first term of President Donald Trump. The move could help small employers manage health costs by suggesting departing workers buy short-term plans, but state regulations vary, with some banning such policies.

More than 25% of US adults with diabetes used GLP-1 drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic in 2024, according to a CDC survey. These injectable medications, targeting the GLP-1 protein, are also marketed for weight loss under different names. The drugs are often used in combination with insulin or oral diabetes medications, reflecting their integration into treatment regimens.

The CDC's new Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence offers guidance for optimizing diagnostic processes to reduce unnecessary tests, promote diagnostic stewardship and prevent incorrect diagnoses. The guidance centers on six core elements, including leadership and accountability, engagement, and tracking and reporting. Three actions are needed to reach diagnostic excellence, according to the guidance: stewardship, developing strong processes and systems, and learning from diagnostic errors.

GPT-4o translates patient instructions into Spanish with quality comparable to professional human translators, with fewer errors and mistranslations. The study, conducted at Boston Children's Hospital, highlights the potential of AI to support non-English-speaking patients, who are at greater risk for adverse health outcomes. "AI can ... help reduce cognitive burden and expedite translation workflows by generating initial drafts that are then reviewed and finalized by human translators," the researchers wrote in JAMA Pediatrics.

Medical coding startup Arintra has raised $21 million in a Series A investment round to advance development of a medical coding platform designed to identify gaps in clinical documentation and bring up context-specific questions. The platform combines payer requirements and denial patterns with coding guidelines to produce "payer-aware" claims, says co-founder Nitesh Shroff.

Physician attire, especially white coats, influences patient perceptions of professionalism, trustworthiness and communication skills, according to research published in The BMJ. The review indicates that patient preferences vary by clinical environment, specialty and physician gender. In primary care, patients often favor a mix of casual clothes and white coats for physicians, while those in emergency departments favor physicians wearing scrubs or white coats.

A presentation at the American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress focused on the importance of early cardiovascular risk assessment for young adults to prevent premature cardiac events, at a time when obesity and diabetes have become more prevalent. The PREVENT risk age calculator may improve communication about the need for preventive interventions.

The FDA declared an end to a shortage of sodium chloride 0.9% injection products, thanks to collaboration with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response as well as industry partners. Efforts included widening production capacity and stabilizing the supply chain. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary emphasized the importance of reliable medical product availability for patient care. The FDA continues to monitor other IV fluid shortages, and it resolved an earlier shortage of intra-aortic balloon and control systems.

Join us on Thursday, September 18, from 12 to 1 pm ET for Increasing Patient Engagement in Value-Based Care to Improve Outcomes as Interwell Health's expert panelists share strategies to boost engagement, optimize care delivery, and improve outcomes across chronic and specialty care. Learn practical, data-driven methods to align patients and providers in VBC models. Don't miss this crucial session!