Healthcare Knuggets
Jan 22, 2026
- Email 1: AI Scribe Productivity Misconceptions
- Subject:🏥 The AI Scribe Productivity Misconceptions
- From: hospitalogy@workweek.com
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Summary:
- Discussion about limited productivity gains from AI scribes: $58 per week per physician (+0.8 patient encounters/week, +1.81 RVUs/week).
- Cost roughly breaks even when considering AI scribe tool expenses ($1,200-3,600 annually per physician).
- Study suggests productivity gains underestimate broader benefits downstream (better coding, referrals, preventative care).
- Member question: Requests EMR solutions for post-acute care with full revenue cycle management, clinical documentation, orders, quality tracking, analytics, and interoperability.
- Healthcare headlines cover increased healthcare PE deal activity, AbbVie’s $100B investment with Medicaid pricing changes, and UnitedHealthcare’s Rural Payment Acceleration Pilot.
- Hospitalogy community open for discussion and collaboration.
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Email 2: US tariffs and Asia-Pacific Healthcare Industry Highlights
- Subject: US tariffs spur Singapore pharma surge | Asia-Pacific dominates medical plastics | HA launches Phase II trainings
- From: healthcareasia@cmgnewsletter.com
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Summary:
- US tariffs have triggered a 123% surge in Singapore’s pharmaceutical output, driven by combined US and China markets.
- Asia-Pacific leads global market growth in medical plastics due to healthcare investments and rising medical tourism.
- HA rolls out Phase II community health training program for primary healthcare personnel on the Mainland.
- Highlights include Peninsula University Hospital reopening, Tam Anh group launching a $95m university in Vietnam, and Australian investment in GP training.
- Healthcare Asia magazine focuses on policy and management of healthcare organizations in Asia.
- Upcoming events: Healthcare Asia Summit and Medtech & Pharma Awards in March 2026.
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Email 3: HHS, NIH Policy Update and Alcohol-Related Suicide Risk
- Subject: What one CDC official calls ‘the cost of doing business’s
- From: newsletter@statnews.com
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Summary:
- Congress reached deal funding HHS including NIH budget increase ($48.7B), opposing proposed Trump administration cuts.
- CDC comments on measles outbreak and losing elimination status described as “cost of doing business”.
- First Opinion essay on potential harms of prostate cancer PSA screening.
- New JAMA study finds queer women have 38% higher risk of alcohol-related suicide compared to straight women.
- Critiques of TV medical drama’s realism and pandemic portrayal.
- STAT+ subscription offers premium biotech, pharma, and policy coverage.
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Email 4: Kids’ Vaccine Controversy and Research Funding Pushback
- Subject: 💉 Kids’ vaccine ruptures
- From: vitals@axios.com
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Summary:
- Doctors and states resisting Trump administration’s narrower childhood vaccine schedule; many follow American Academy of Pediatrics instead.
- Over 200 medical groups urge Congress to investigate vaccine schedule changes; lawsuits underway.
- Congress pushes back on Trump’s NIH budget cuts, increasing funding and restricting grant funding policy changes.
- Government watchdog spotlights $19B in wasteful or fraudulent Medicare spending, including surging payments for high-tech bandages.
- AI initiatives by Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic expanding in consumer health.
- GOP Rep. Letlow challenges Senate health chair Cassidy; Florida proposes AIDS drug assistance program cuts; psychiatric manual debate on postpartum psychosis.
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Email 5: Last Day to Save for STAT Breakthrough Summit East
- Subject: ⏰ One day left to save on STAT Breakthrough Summit Easts
- From: marketing@statnews.com
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Summary:
- Reminder that early access pricing ends tomorrow for STAT Breakthrough Summit East, March 2026 in NYC.
- Summit theme: “Science, Undaunted,” features top research executives and science communicators.
- Featured speakers include execs from Eli Lilly, Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and notable science communicators.
- Registration also open for STAT Breakthrough Summit West in May 2026 with lowest rates.
- Encouragement to register now before prices increase at midnight ET.
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Email 6: Trump Administration’s Impact on US Science After One Year
- Subject: Trump: the state of play for science, one year ins
- From: briefing@nature.com
- Summary:
- Babies’ gut microbiome influenced significantly by nursery social interactions, sharing microbiota beyond maternal influence.
- Black-bulb yams mimic berries to trick birds into dispersing asexual clones.
- Nature feature on US science after one year of Trump: over 7,800 research grants terminated/frozen, 20% staff loss at federal science agencies, and proposed 35% budget cuts rejected by Congress.
- US quitting 66 global science networks impacts research collaborations; organizations continue work despite withdrawal.
- Opinions on protecting biomedical science include legal actions, state and professional society engagement, and diversification of funding sources.
- Technology trends to watch in 2026 highlighted, including AI-powered meteorology, mRNA therapeutics, and next-gen nuclear fusion.
- Quote: excitement about a pan-mammalian methylation clock measuring aging across species.
Stay Well!
