Latest news with #DukeHealth
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
With rising temperatures in North Carolina, hospitals report uptick of snake bites
CARY, N.C. (WNCN) — Hospitals throughout the central North Carolina said they're seeing more patients with snake bites walking through their doors. Raleigh native Anita McLoud went through the whole experience when she was bitten by a copperhead in her backyard. She never imagined she'd find herself calling 911 in the hospital, and with a venomous bite. After checking on her chickens during a night in August, McLoud said she turned around to walk back to her house when she had a startling surprise. 'One of the first two things I remember learning from my mom is how to identify a copperhead and how to identify poison ivy,' McLoud said. 'Those were the things you needed to know going out of the house. 'I was in my backyard,' she said. 'I had not seen a snake there in 23 years that I lived there and I was wearing flip flops.' 'My first thought was it's a stick. Within a split second, I [realized] that was not a stick. Was it a snake? I turned and there he was.' According to McLoud, medical staff measured the swelling near the bite every 30 minutes. While she never needed antivenom, doctors gave her morphine for the pain. She said the swelling, pain, and discoloration lasted around five-six weeks. 'I was fortunate that way,' McLoud said. 'They told me at the time, only 23% of people who got bit had to receive the antivenom.' According to Duke Health officials, hospitals usually see more than 100 snakebite patients per year across the health system, with the number of cases typically peaking in July. Since April, officials said emergency departments at Duke University, Duke Regional Hospital and Raleigh Regional Hospital have treated 22 bites this season, which staff said typically starts in April. Officials at WakeMed said an emergency department reported nine patients since June 1, six just between June 14 and June 17. Last year, they saw an increase from 15 patients treated for bites in June to 40 in July. UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill reported 18 patients from March to mid-June, slightly higher than the same time last year. 'The numbers increase as the weather gets warmer, especially when it's hot and more of us work/play in the yard early in the morning or in the evening—when snakes get more active, too,' staff said in a statement. Talena Chavis of Cary, the owner of NC Snake Catcher has studied snakes for nearly 30 years. She said the summer season typically comes with 8-10 calls a day, often to safely move and relocate snakes. 'I actually don't encourage folks to try to ID snakes themselves because Mother Nature throws curveballs,' Chavis said. 'Even with copperheads, the pattern changes a lot.' North Carolina has six venomous snakes. According to Chavis, the copperhead's bite is rarely fatal. 'Every season, copperheads are our number one snake,' Chavis said. 'To say that we have a surplus or even an overpopulation is not is not off topic.' Chavis believes more encounters have been attributed to more growth and development. The species has also adapted to urban and suburban areas. 'They're not really afraid of loud noises,' she said. 'They don't care about fireworks, blowers, lawnmowers. These guys just don't really care because they're an ambush predator.' According to Chavis, most bites happen during night hours when copperheads are searching for heat and their prey. Most the time, she said people just happen to get in the way. Chavis advises people to be more cautious, aware, and put on boots. 'I firmly believe if people wore their boots in the yard and watched where they put their hands, the number of copperhead bites would be cut in half,' she said. Even after her encounter, McLoud said she now works with the reptiles. 'I've really been enjoying it,' McLoud said. 'I wasn't upset with the snake. He's just doing his 'self-defense' thing. If someone stepped on me, I'd probably react as well.' Duke Health officials also continue to share more information about snakebite safety. If bitten, they said to go to your local hospital—never push off the visit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Certain cancers increasing in younger people
(NewsNation) — New research from the National Institutes of Health found that 14 different types of cancers have increased in people younger than 50. Cancers of the breast, stomach, kidney and pancreas have jumped from 2010 to 2019. Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in men younger than 50 and the second leading cause for women. Research also shows people born in the 1980s and 1990s are twice as likely to get colorectal cancer as older generations. Some findings pin the blame on environmental factors like pollution or chemicals in the food supply and on lifestyle factors like obesity and diets with ultra-processed foods. Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes, the chief of medical oncology at Duke Health, joined NewsNation's 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' to talk about the findings. She said in her office, she's been seeing fit, younger patients coming in with colorectal cancer. Vitamin D supplements may slow aging: Study 'The first thing I tell my patients is there's nothing you did or didn't do,' Reidy-Lagunes said. She added at these young ages, there are certain cancers linked to risk factors like obesity and sedentary lifestyles but that current studies show that it is not the reason why doctors are seeing an increase in cases. Reidy-Lagunes said when looking out for potential signs, it's important for people to know their bodies. She said for colorectal cancer, any changes in bowel movements that don't change over some days or weeks are something you should consult a doctor about, including for other types of cancers where masses may form anywhere on the body. Reidy-Lagunes also recommends men get screened for prostate cancer at 50 and screening at 40 for Black men and for those who have a family history of the cancer. She said women should get screened for breast cancer at 40 and earlier if there is a family history. With all the different theories on what is causing the increase, Reidy-Lagunes said more research is needed sooner rather than later to understand what's going on. 'We can't wait another 40 years to see if there could be other generational issues,' Reidy-Lagunes said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
15-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
What the AHA wants from Washington; What data chiefs want from Vatican City
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Next Tuesday, I'm moderating a virtual panel on AI governance and risk management in health care (you can register for that discussion for free here). In preparation, I've been speaking with health AI leaders about the usual suspects—ie., surveillance protocols—and some unusual suspects—ie., the pope. Divine intervention was not on my AI-news-cycle bingo card for the year, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the newly chosen pope acknowledge the potential and challenges posed by AI. Pope Leo XIV, the first American chosen to lead the Roman Catholic Church, said he selected that papal name to honor his predecessor, Leo XIII, who showed a strong commitment to social issues and workers' rights during the industrial revolution. "In our own day, the church offers everyone the treasury of its social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor," Pope Leo XIV said during his first press briefing with the media. Dr. Michael Pencina, vice dean and chief data scientist at Duke Health (and one of our panelists for next Tuesday's discussion), raised the pope's remarks during a chat we had this week. Indeed, we're on the brink of a second technical revolution—and how to manage this period is "one of the biggest issues facing humanity," Pencina said. There's a growing expectation in the financial sector that cost-cutting measures like the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will pave a new era of automation. But health care has a lot to lose if humans fall out of touch, Pencina said. He compared AI programs to his own small children: You need to know where they are and what they're doing at all times, because they're more likely to be doing something "mischievous" sans watchful eyes. No right-minded hospital leader wants to see AI models causing mischief. Yet, it's tough to keep tabs on the shape-shifting regulations and recommendations for technological governance. If you only have time for two reads this week, I recommend (1.) this NEJM AI article from UC San Diego Health System, which calls for disclosure when using AI for patient communications, and (2.) this LinkedIn article from Dr. Merage Ghane, director of responsible AI in health at the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), reflecting on the organization's decision to publicly release its testing and evaluation frameworks on GitHub. But if you have, say, an hour to spare next Tuesday, May 20, at 2:15 p.m. EST, I invite you to join us in conversation as we discuss the management playbook for safe, smart, scalable AI in health care. Read on for more info, and I'll see you next week. Join our panel of AI experts for an interactive discussion on safe, scalable innovation. Join our panel of AI experts for an interactive discussion on safe, scalable innovation. Newsweek Essential Reading One of hospitals' most profitable procedures has a hidden cost. Cardiac surgery brings in millions of dollars for health systems—but a common, expensive complication is eating away at some hospitals' profits. And under CMS' new TEAM model, this post-op condition could become an even bigger financial liability. Get the scoop in my latest article for Newsweek. Pharmacies and other U.S. drug importers are scrambling to stockpile common drugs after President Donald Trump said he would announce a "major tariff" on the products soon. Pharmaceuticals have been virtually tariff-free in the U.S. for three decades, NPR noted recently. While many pharma giants have promised to expand domestic manufacturing over the next several years, the U.S. imported $53 billion of pharmaceutical and medical products in March alone—equivalent to 20 percent of all our pharmaceutical imports in 2024—thus signaling unease, according to the Financial Times. Maine lawmakers are weighing a bill that would block private equity investments in hospitals, The Maine Monitor reported. If inked, the legislation would bar private equity companies and real estate investment trusts from acquiring or expanding ownership stake in hospitals until 2029. No one has testified in opposition to the bill so far. The American Hospital Association wrote government officials to offer 100 ways that the Trump administration could lessen the burden on hospitals and health systems. Their list was derived from more than 2,700 ideas collected in an AHA member survey. Click here to read the full recommendation, which includes requests that: all Center for Medicare and Medicaid models are made voluntary; "outdated" COVID-19 reporting mandates are repealed, including some that require post-acute care providers to report patient and staff COVID-19 vaccination rates and hospitals to report weekly data on acute respiratory illnesses; and certain federal limitations on nurse practitioners and other advanced practice providers are eliminated, as federal guidelines often impose scope limits that are more restrictive than states' own licensures, restricting hospitals' abilities to expand access. Pulse Check James Hereford is the president and CEO of Fairview Health Services. James Hereford is the president and CEO of Fairview Health Services. Fairview Health Services James Hereford is the president and CEO of Fairview Health Services, a nonprofit health system based in Minneapolis. Its extensive portfolio includes both community and academic hospitals; assisted living and senior facilities; rehabilitation centers and home health care services; primary and specialty care clinics; and pharmacies and benefit management services. I connected with Hereford for a Pulse Check this week before it publicly posted its Q1 financial results, which were pretty remarkable. The system saw a $65 million improvement in net operating income compared to the same quarter in 2024—this marks its first profitable Q1 since 2018. Read on for a closer look at the strategy supporting Fairview's financial turnaround. Fairview recently returned to profitability, achieving its ninth consecutive quarter of YOY operating improvement. One element of the business that buoyed that financial success was your pharmacy solutions business, which launched late last year (and has, in part, spurred a 23-percent increase in pharmacy services revenue). What compelled Fairview to crack the specialty pharmacy space? We've had a long-standing capability in specialty pharmacy, and Bob Beacher—our EVP and now president of our Fairview Pharmacy Solutions spinout—has done a remarkable job growing that capability. It's one of the few areas where we can actually show per-member-per-month savings through better medication management. Part of the challenge is that margins in acute care are incredibly slim, especially in a market like the Twin Cities, where we face higher-than-average labor costs and lower-than-average commercial reimbursement. I often describe it as the 2 percent/4 percent problem: Our revenue grows about 2 percent annually, while our cost structure inflates at least 4 percent. That gap—on an $8 billion base—is $160 million a year just to stay even. So we knew we had to diversify our revenue. Specialty pharmacy is an area where we have deep expertise, and many health systems with 340B programs aren't fully optimizing them. We can help close that gap. We're encouraged by the early traction, but the strategic imperative is clear: We have to find new ways to grow revenue that don't rely solely on government and commercial payers—or fall on the backs of our patients. Your system's transformation office delivered $342 million of operational efficiency savings in 2024. How are you balancing the need for innovation with the need to focus on financial longevity? We don't view innovation and financial stewardship as competing goals—they need to coexist. The way we see it, any investment we make must position us for the future and deliver measurable benefit in the near term. Over the past few years, we've prioritized what I'd call the "low-hanging fruit"—changes that are meaningful, repeatable and aligned with both financial discipline and long-term transformation. We try hard to avoid false choices between short-term survival and long-term relevance. The reality is, health care needs to fundamentally change. It's too expensive, too inaccessible, and structurally unsustainable. Commercial payers are increasingly absorbing the cost of government shortfalls, and that model won't hold. We can't just run faster on the same hamster wheel—we need real transformation in how care is delivered, how it's financed and how it shows up for patients. C-Suite Shuffles Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health—the largest non-for-profit health care provider in New York—will step down on October 1 after more than 23 years at the helm. Dr. John D'Angelo, current executive vice president of the health system's central region, will succeed Dowling. Read on to the Executive Edge section to hear Dowling's advice for the next generation of health care leaders—shared exclusively with Newsweek . The telehealth company Hims & Hers has selected Mo Elshenawy to serve as its chief technology officer as the platform works to scale its AI capabilities. Most recently, he was president and CTO of Cruise—a self-driving vehicle company owned by General Motors. Andrew Witty suddenly resigned as CEO of UnitedHealth Group for "personal reasons," the company announced Tuesday. Stephen Hemsley, chairman of UHG's board of directors and former CEO, was reappointed to the top seatwhich he held from 2006 to led the formation of UHG's Optum business and guided the company through the 2008 financial crisis. The HR Digest has called his appointment a "morale mission" as the company deals with aftershocks from last year's Change Healthcare cyberattack, and the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian company simultaneously suspended its 2025 outlook, reiterating that Medicare Advantage costs have been higher than expected. Executive Edge Michael Dowling is the president and CEO of Northwell Health. Michael Dowling is the president and CEO of Northwell Health. Northwell Health Michael Dowling is the longtime president and CEO of Northwell Health—or at least, he is until October 1. Yesterday, Dowling announced that he'll be stepping down from the role this fall, assuming the CEO Emeritus position to aid his successor's transition. Dowling is widely considered a visionary in the industry: He spearheaded the creation of New York's first integrated health system in 1992, deepened its presence in research, technology and medical education, and has mobilized more than 60 health care CEOs to address gun violence in the United States. Since 2020, his Center for Gun Violence Prevention has been developing best practices for firearm injury and death prevention, providing support services and clinical care for victims, and speaking out in hopes of depolarizing the issue. He's already contributed substantially to the leadership realm—in deeds, published books and LinkedIn posts—but yesterday, I asked him to share his best advice for the incoming generation of health care executives. Here's what he said: "The world of health care is changing faster than ever before. You have to be willing to adapt, to embrace new ideas, and to challenge the status quo. Don't be afraid to take risks. Some of the biggest breakthroughs come from thinking outside the box. And never stop learning. There's always something new to discover. Some of the biggest breakthroughs come from thinking outside the box. And never stop learning. There's always something new to discover. "Health care isn't a one-person show. It takes a whole team—doctors, nurses, administrators, everyone working together. Build strong relationships, listen to different perspectives, and never underestimate the power of a shared vision. That's how you get things done. "Leading Northwell these past 25 years has taught me a lot, and it's been an incredible honor, a privilege to help see the health system change and grow. We have been through a lot but no matter what we faced, we've always put patients first, and that won't change." Years ago, Dr. Víctor Raúl Castillo Mantilla, CEO and president of the Hospital Internacional de Colombia, decided to leave his personal phone number on the door of every patient room with a note that says: "If you have any issues with your care, please call Dr. Castillo, President of the Fundación Cardiovascular—he will help you." In this Newsweek CEO Circle Q&A, Castillo explains why he did it—I couldn't believe how many calls he'd receive in a single day! This is a preview of Access Health—Tap here to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Shields partners with Duke Health for pharmacy services expansion
Shields Health Solutions has partnered with US-based health system Duke Health to expand speciality pharmacy services. The collaboration is set to advance clinical care and improve health outcomes in North Carolina through the Duke Specialty Pharmacy expansion. This initiative is built to support patients by reducing costs, offering broader treatment options, and improving medication management. Patients using Duke Specialty Pharmacy will benefit from personalised, patient-centred care. This includes enhanced access to financial guidance, improved medication adherence, medication delivery, regular follow-ups, and side effect management. Shields' broad reach into payer networks and the range of drugs on offer will afford patients options in their specialist pharmacy care, enabling them to make use of services via Duke Specialty Pharmacy. The programme will introduce broadened support services, centred on caring for patients with intricate long-term health issues. In addition, the endeavour seeks to encompass a wider array of patient groups going forward, improving the accessibility of healthcare. Shields Health Solutions CEO Michael Ham said: 'Our partnership with Duke Health underscores the health system's unwavering commitment to providing superior patient care and differentiated patient experiences. 'We look forward to working alongside Duke Health as it expands its speciality pharmacy services and its impact on complex patients in the Greater Raleigh–Durham community.' Shields Health Solutions currently collaborates with approximately 80 health systems nationwide, assisting patients in lessening co-pays and receiving medication promptly. In October 2024, Shields Health Solutions announced a collaboration with Sutter Health to enhance speciality medications accessibility for US patients with chronic, rare, and complex conditions. "Shields partners with Duke Health for pharmacy services expansion" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time Magazine
08-05-2025
- Health
- Time Magazine
Shiv Rao
Much of what inspires people to go to medical school or nursing school is the opportunity—the "privilege," as Dr. Shiv Rao sees it—to serve patients while building strong relationships with them. But the reality of the job often means being consumed with paperwork for hours after the last appointment of the day. That's why Rao, a practicing cardiologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center with an interest in machine learning, founded Abridge, which uses AI to turn doctors' conversations with patients into billable clinical notes that are integrated directly into health records. The tool works by recording a patient's visit (with their consent), automatically transcribing it, and creating a useful summary. 'Abridge unburdens clinicians from the clerical work that crushes their souls, so they can focus on the person in front of them,' says CEO Rao. Abridge is now used at more than 100 health systems across the U.S., including Kaiser Permanente, Duke Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and UChicago Medicine. Rao expects that growth to continue: In February, the company raised $250 million, which it will funnel into research and development. It also started rolling out a product built for nurses at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. The same month, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association concluded that 67% of clinicians using Abridge believed their risk of burnout due to paperwork had decreased, and 77% felt the tool improved patient care. Rao recalls a rural primary care physician who wrote to the company about her experience with the tool. When she sat down to dinner with her family, her young son asked her: 'Mommy, why aren't you working right now?' The woman explained that she was using Abridge, a tool that allowed her to come home early enough for dinner—and that now, she could do so every night. 'Clinicians across the country can get their life back,' Rao says. 'But they can also hopefully deliver more empathetic care because they're more present and building better relationships.'
