Larry Ward, MD, MPH, MACP

Modernizing Risk Adjustment in Health Care: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians | Annals of Internal Medicine Risk adjustment is a critical component of health care reimbursement aimed at ensuring fair compensation on the basis of the characteristics of patients receiving care. Optimizing risk adjustment is n...

I am very excited to share the publication of our paper, Modernizing Risk Adjustment in Healthcare. This is an issue that impacts every physician today. www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...

YouTube video by Dr. Dave For Philly Dr. Dave Oxman For Congress

Watch Video Here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=66l8...

An amazing physician who will make an amazing representative for #PA03! We need somebody who will stand up for the right to receive healthcare. #2026Midterms #healthcare

Disgusting

Health secretary RFK Jr. abruptly fires CDC vaccine advisory panel Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has taken the extraordinary step of firing the expert panel that advises the CDC.

#Breaking: Health secretary RFK Jr. abruptly fires CDC vaccine advisory panel

www.statnews.com/2025/06/09/r...

As someone with a child about to enter medical school, I can 100% agree this is a major problem and will leave the profession only to those with the financial means and will further devastate primary care.

RFK Jr. removes all members of CDC panel advising U.S. on vaccines It's the latest move by Kennedy – a prominent vaccine skeptic – to change and potentially undermine vaccinations in the U.S. since he took the helm at HHS.

A blatant attempt to impose politics on medical care. This is unacceptable. No one will believe any #ACIP recommendations for the next 4 years. www.cnbc.com/2025/06/09/r...

@acpimphysicians.bsky.social At #IM2025 with #BOG2022.
“Come for the science, stay for the people.”
#IMProud Colleagues & friends for life.
@lwardmd.bsky.social @lesliealgase.bsky.social

Officer killed after a gunman took hostages at a Pennsylvania hospital Authorities say a gunman entered a Pennsylvania hospital’s intensive care unit and took staff members hostage before he was killed by police.

Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives and those terrorized at this UPMC hospital in York. Just horrible. Hospitals need to be secure and safe for patients and staff. www.inquirer.com/wires/ap/yor...

NIH In Your State - United For Medical Research Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America.

NIH Indirect costs to be capped at 15%. This will destroy most research in America and is economic idiocy.
DELAWARE

NIH AWARDS FUNDING: $76 M
JOBS SUPPORTED: 607
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY SUPPORTED: $ 181 M
www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-...

Executive wants to frame the NIH indirects cut as $4B in savings.

But given that NIH returns $2.5 on every $1 investment, this would actually cost US economy a net $6 BILLION (per year!). Not to mention the human costs of wrecking education and research sectors and the communities they serve.

On changes to #NIH indirect rates, there is a law in place that prohibits NIH from making such changes without the approval of Congress. See Division D, Title II Section 224 of The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law No: 118-47) grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

Trump hits NIH with ‘devastating’ freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring Researchers facing

This will be potentially devastating to research in the US and the careers of many physicians and other researchers.
www.science.org/content/arti...

Extremely concerning: The Trump administration has instructed federal health agencies to pause all external communications, such as health advisories, weekly scientific reports, updates to websites and social media posts.

Supreme Court to hear case challenging Obamacare’s preventive coverage At issue is a provision requiring health-care plans to cover no-cost preventive care, including cancer screenings, immunizations and contraception. A Christian-owned business has challenged it.

Apparently the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the USPSTF is unconstitutional and SCOTUS may agree and soon strike down Obamacare requirements that preventive care be covered for free. All because a few zealots believe PrEP promotes homosexuality. 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️ www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Uh oh. First US #Birdflu death abcnews.go.com/Health/1st-h...

Telemedicine for Seniors Gets a Last-Minute Reprieve (Gift Article) Some older Americans have come to depend on virtual consultations with doctors, covered by Medicare. To keep that option in the future, Congress will have to act quickly.

We can’t put this genie back in the bottle. Congress must extend #telehealth flexibilities www.nytimes.com/2025/01/05/h...

What is HMPV? China steps up emergency measures amid new virus outbreak The outbreak comes five years after the world was first alerted to the emergence of Covid-19

What happens in China usually doesn’t stay in China. Keep an eye on #HMPV. www.independent.co.uk/asia/china/h...

Incorporating Economic Evidence in Clinical Guidelines: A Framework From the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians | Annals of Internal Medicine In recognition of accelerating health care spending and alignment with the American College of Physicians (ACP) principles of promoting high-value care, the ACP Clinical Guidelines Committee (CGC) dev...

👇Check out this just released, paradigm changing paper from ACP on incorporating economic evidence into clinical guideline development. @pdxtom.bsky.social @darilynmoyer.bsky.social @drelisachoi.bsky.social @medpedshosp.bsky.social @drjanetj.bsky.social www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...

Most flu pandemic start off in early spring. #birdflu becomes harder to spot because patient symptoms may be mistaken for the seasonal flu. If two flu viruses swap genes as they infect a person simultaneously a hybrid bird flu could result.

Virologists around the world said they were flabbergasted by how poorly the United States was tracking the situation. “If three months from now we are at the start of the pandemic, it is nobody’s surprise.”

How America lost control of the bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic A year into the first outbreak of bird flu among cattle, the virus shows no sign of slowing. The U.S. failed to eliminate the virus early on; now 875 herds across 16 states have tested positive.

This time we will know exactly where and why the next #pandemic began. Worrisome trends with #birdflu. A mixture of greed, incompetence, neglect and learning the wrong lessons from COVID. www.inquirer.com/health/bird-...

IBX will no longer cover drugs like Ozempic when they are prescribed solely for weight loss GLP-1 receptor agonists, which can cost around $1,300 a month, have caused an increase in premiums that “affect all members, whether they utilize weight loss drugs or not,” IBX said in a statement.

Nothing too surprising here - IBX will no longer cover drugs like Ozempic when they are prescribed solely for weight loss www.inquirer.com/health/indep...

If Congress does not act to extend current #telehealth flexibilities by the end of the year, millions of patients will lose access they've come to rely on.

It's critical this is included in a year-end package! #savetelehealth

Cynwyd Club: A History of One of America’s Great Clubs - Squash Magazine by James Zug Susan Gross was an ordinary squash mother. She had a precocious daughter, Amy, who loved squash but in the mid-1990s it was hard to find clubs where Amy could play. They lived outside Phi...

A wonderful history of our neighborhood #squash club just outside Philadelphia. If you don’t know what squash is, other than the vegetable, check it out! Great exercise - better that an any gym. squashmagazine.com/2024/12/cynw...

$1 COVID home test kit now available.

Cold day here in Philly. Just relaxing with the cat by the fire.

Hospital at home & Telehealth. Both on the potential chopping block by 12/31 without the passage of bipartisan bills in Congress. #healthcare #CMS

Bird Flu Is One Step Closer to Mixing with Seasonal Flu Virus and Becoming a Pandemic Humans and pigs could both serve as mixing vessels for a bird flu–seasonal flu hybrid, posing a risk of wider spread

U.S. reports 6 new human cases of H5N1 bird flu. Having allowed this virus to become endemic in dairy cattle, the risk of a reassortment that could result in a more virulent strain of bird flu — better adapted for human spread — will continue to rise as it collides with seasonal flu.

My article in @statnews.bsky.social on GLP-1 compounding: the @fda.gov needs to maintain the integrity of its authorities — and the implementation of the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA).

www.statnews.com/2024/11/19/f...