Burnout Down For Women Physicians, Yet Closing Gender Gap Still Key

Burnout Down For Women Physicians, Yet Closing Gender Gap Still Key (AMA, Sara Berg, MS) — Physician burnout in the U.S. continues to trend downward, yet gender inequities persist, according to an exclusive AMA survey. That continuing gap underscores how workload, workplace culture and work-life balance pressures continue to weigh more heavily on women in medicine. But some innovative health…

AHA Scientific Statement Advocates for ‘Food Is Medicine’ as Intervention for Chronic Cardiometabolic Diseases

AHA Scientific Statement Advocates for ‘Food Is Medicine’ as Intervention for Chronic Cardiometabolic Diseases (Medscape, Katherine Wandersee) — Rates of cardiometabolic illnesses among American adults have reached an astonishing 50%. For diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and related inflammatory conditions, the root cause often boils down to poor diet. Nearly 45% of all deaths from…

North Carolina, It’s Time to Lead the Way. Meet us at the Summit

North Carolina, It's Time to Lead the Way. Meet us at the Summit As a platinum sponsor of the upcoming Joy & Wholeness Summit in Asheville (July 23-25), NCCPRW is committed to a healthier future for healthcare workers across our state. This year, our goal is to host as many healthcare leaders and clinicians from North Carolina as possible. We know that true transformation in caring for…

Measles Cases In The U.S. Hit The Highest Total Recorded In More Than 30 Years

Measles Cases In The U.S. Hit The Highest Total Recorded In More Than 30 Years (CBS News, Sara Moniuszko)— The United States has recorded 1,288 measles cases so far this year, the highest total in 33 years, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data out Wednesday.   Just over halfway through 2025, the U.S. has now surpassed 2019's total number of infections, when 1,274…

Secretary and Former NCMS President Dr. Dev Sangvai Releases Statement on the U.S. House Passage of the Senate Reconciliation Bill

NCDHHS Secretary Dev Sangvai Releases Statement on the U.S. House Passage of the Senate Reconciliation Bill (NCDHHS) — On July 3rd, the U.S. House passed the Senate reconciliation bill. The bill includes significant changes to federal funding for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and other public health and social support programs. The North Carolina Department of…

Family Experiences Unexpected Improvements of Personalized Treatment for Batten Disease at UNC

Family Experiences Unexpected Improvements of Personalized Treatment for Batten Disease at UNC (UNC Health) — June 2025 marks one year since Amelia and Makenzie Kahn received their first dose of Zebronkysen, a personalized treatment developed by University of Michigan, Michelle Hastings, PhD, for their specific mutation associated with juvenile Batten disease, or CLN3. So far, benefits of the…

RFK Jr. Fires ‘Opening Salvo’ On Vaccine Status Quo

RFK Jr. Fires ‘Opening Salvo’ On Vaccine Status Quo (The Hill, Nathaniel Weixel) — Public health experts say Robert F. Kennedy Jr is exactly who they thought he was. The Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary — who is also the nation’s most well-known vaccine skeptic — is remaking the agency in his image, casting doubt on the benefits of vaccines, and erecting new barriers that will make it…

Medical Societies and Patient Sue HHS & RFK

Medical Societies and Patient Sue HHS & RFK Medical Societies and Patient Sue HHS, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Unlawful, Unilateral Changes to Vaccine Recommendations The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Physicians (ACP), American Public Health Association (APHA), Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Massachusetts Public Health Alliance (MPHA),…

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Opens Union County’s First and Only Pediatric Emergency Department

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Opens Union County’s First and Only Pediatric Emergency Department (Atrium Health News) — Families in Union County now have access to emergency care designed just for children for the first time. Atrium Health Levine Children’s Emergency Department Union has officially opened its doors as the first and only pediatric emergency department in Union County —…

States Brace For Added Burdens Of Trump’s Tax And Spending Law

 States Brace For Added Burdens Of Trump’s Tax And Spending Law (New York Times, David W. Chen and Pooja Salhotra) — The ink is not even dry on the far-reaching domestic policy law that President Trump signed on Friday, and already state governments are bracing for impact as Washington shifts much of the burden for health care, food assistance and other programs onto them. Gov. JB Pritzker,…

Physician = Health Policy Official

Physician = Health Policy Official Your path to running for office lies ahead Ever wonder what it takes to become a candidate for elected office and run a successful campaign?  AMPAC, the political education and advocacy program of the American Medical Association, is a go-to resource for guidance and expertise.  AMPIC annually hosts a Campaign School to help physicians have a greater…

NCMS Joins Stakeholders In Backing Vaccination Against Respiratory Viruses

NCMS Joins Stakeholders In Backing Vaccination Against Respiratory Viruses With respiratory viruses expected to surge in the fall, the North Carolina Medical Society joined 79 affiliated societies in expressing support for vaccination to protect against the flu, COVID-19 and RSV and their potentially serious complications. The NCMS and partner organizations call on insurers, hospitals, and…

Proposed Federal Cuts Put Rural Behavioral Health Resources On The Line

Proposed Federal Cuts Put Rural Behavioral Health Resources On The Line (Daily Yonder, Madeline de Figueiredo) — Ten years ago, Nancy Winmill’s son survived an opioid overdose. In her search for support, she found almost nothing available in her Burley, Idaho community. “I had no idea what to do or where to go. I had no help. I had no resources,” Winmill said. That experience pushed her to…

ICYMI — Message From The President

ICYMI — Message From The President Dear NCMS Members, I am pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has named Stephen W. Keene, JD, LLM, MBA as Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) effective June 26, 2025. We are thankful for his leadership, dedication, and service to NCMS over the past three months as Interim CEO. As many members…

DOJ Fraud Takedown – No North Carolina Physicians Among Named Defendants

DOJ Fraud Takedown – No North Carolina Physicians Among Named Defendants On Monday, June 30, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) held a press conference and issued a press release to announce the results of its largest-ever national health care fraud takedown. The operation resulted in charges against 324 individuals with fraud allegations exceeding $14.6 billion. Charges stemmed from schemes…

NCMS to Congress: Protect Medicaid, Reform Medicare Payment … Help North Carolina

NCMS to Congress: Protect Medicaid, Reform Medicare Payment ... Help North Carolina The President's tax bill, H.R. 1 / One Big Beautiful Bill, which passed both the US Senate and US House and signed into law on July 4th, has drawn considerable attention since it was introduced on May 20, 2025.  The bill was presented to Congress to make tax cuts enacted in 2017 permanent, while also…

ECU Graduate, Deallaney Hudson, Continues To Defeat More Odds Through ECU Health Internship

ECU Graduate, Deallaney Hudson, Continues To Defeat More Odds Through ECU Health Internship (WITN, Merit Morgan) — The inspiring story of East Carolina University graduate Deallaney Hudson is one WITN has been following for months. Hudson has faced uncertainty since her birth and the diagnosis of Neonatal Progeroid Syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by accelerated aging. Following her…

Duke Regional Hospital Gets Top Rank In National Survey

 Duke Regional Hospital Gets Top Rank In National Survey (Business North Carolina, David Mildenberg) — Duke Regional Hospital ranked No 1 in social responsibility in a national survey of nearly 2,700 acute-care hospitals, marking the third straight year the Durham hospital has received the top honor. The survey by the Needham, Massachusetts-based Lown Institute looks at data from various…

Kyphoplasty Turned Runner’s Back Injury Into Comeback

Kyphoplasty Turned Runner’s Back Injury Into Comeback (Novant Health, Carole Tanzer Miller) — When David Freeze recently took the baton in a Southwest relay to run a leg that gained more than 1,150 feet in elevation over a scant 3.4 miles, it was just his latest uphill battle to conquer. The 72-year-old distance runner and cross-country cyclist spent the past year recovering from a catastrophic…

Child Visiting NC Diagnosed With Measles As Vaccination Rates Decline

 Child Visiting NC Diagnosed With Measles As Vaccination Rates Decline (WFMY 2, Ben Briscoe, Madelyn Ricket) — The state health department confirmed a child visiting Guilford and Forsyth counties has the measles. This case comes as a growing number of parents across the country and here in North Carolina decide not to vaccinate their kids for the Measles. WFMY News 2's Ben Briscoe…

UNC Study Shows Promise for Patients Who Struggle to Manage Type 2 Diabetes

UNC Study Shows Promise for Patients Who Struggle to Manage Type 2 Diabetes (UNC Health Care, Brittany Phillips) — One of the biggest struggles for people with type 2 diabetes is to manage blood glucose levels to the general target of less than 7% on the A1c test.  About half of people with type 2 diabetes do not achieve an A1c less than 7.5%,  even though many are treated intensively with…

‘They Can Just Be Kids’: Summer Camps in ENC Provide Refuge For Pediatric Patients

 'They Can Just Be Kids': Summer Camps in ENC Provide Refuge For Pediatric Patients (Reflector, Kim Grizzard) —The room grew quiet Thursday when Tamika Mackey interrupted a craft activity for pediatric hematology and oncology patients to announce that someone needed to get a few shots. Nevah Hill stopped coloring and sat wide-eyed, worried about what might come next. The 7-year-old’s smile…

Alert – Medicare Fraud Scheme

Alert - Medicare Fraud Scheme The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued an alert for all Medicare providers.  CMS has identified a fraud scheme targeting those enrolled as Medicare providers as well as Medicare suppliers where scammers are impersonating CMS.  The fraudulent ploy includes a phishing fax request for medical records and documentation, falsely claiming to be…

First Case of Measles Identified in North Carolina

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Released A Report of the First Measles Case in NC RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed a case of measles in a child who was visiting Forsyth and Guilford counties. The child became ill while traveling to NC from another country where measles outbreaks have recently been reported. To protect…

New Research: Diabetes Medication Shows Promise In Cutting Migraine Days By More Than Half

New Research: Diabetes Medication Shows Promise In Cutting Migraine Days By More Than Half (News Medical, European Academy of Neurology Congress 2025) — A diabetes medication that lowers brain fluid pressure has cut monthly migraine days by more than half, according to a new study presented today at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2025. Researchers at the Headache Centre of…

Carolina SeniorCare Helps Residents in Seven NC Counties Age At Home

Carolina SeniorCare Helps Residents in Seven NC Counties Age At Home (The Sun Journal, Caramia Valentin)  — Carolina SeniorCare-East, an EveryAge Program, is now open and serving seniors ages 55 and older in seven area counties. Carolina SeniorCare, located at 3681 Neuse Blvd. in New Bern, provides the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, also known as PACE. The…

Duke Researchers: Severe Heat is Here! Learn What’s Important for Living Under Dangerous Conditions

Duke Researchers:  Severe Heat is Here! Learn What’s Important for Living Under Dangerous Conditions (Duke Today, Ashley Ward) — Plus: Duke guidelines on working outside in severe heat It’s going to be blazing this week, as what meterologists call “a heat dome” settles in across the country, putting some 200 million Americans at risk for severe heat. Forecasters predict 100 degree…

Health Plans Take Action to Simplify Prior Authorization

  New Commitments Aim to Accelerate Decision Timelines, Increase Transparency, Expand Access to Affordable, Quality Care   Additional reading from HHS, PBS, and others at bottom of this release   (AHIP, 6/23/25 Press Release) -- Health insurance plans today announced a series of commitments to streamline, simplify and reduce prior authorization – a critical safeguard to…

New Atrium Health Hospital Set To Open July 1

New Atrium Health Hospital Set To Open July 1 (WCNC, Hank Lee) — Atrium Health Lake Norman, the Charlotte area's newest hospital, will open its doors to patients on July 1, Atrium Health announced.  Located near Lake Norman between Huntersville and Cornelius, Atrium Health Lake Norman offers state-of-the-art technology and care for patients in northern Mecklenburg County and surrounding…

UNC School of Medicine OBGYN is Making Pregnancy Sonograms More Accessible

UNC School of Medicine OBGYN is Making Pregnancy Sonograms More Accessible (UNC, Alyssa LaFaro) — When Dr. Jeffrey Stringer was in the middle of his medical program at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in the mid-1990s and distraught at the death of a patient, his chief resident led him away from the deathbed to another part of the hospital: the nursery. “It was a circle of life moment,”…

New Study: Immune Changes Predict Heart Risks In Cancer Patients

New Study: Immune Changes Predict Heart Risks In Cancer Patients (News Medical, European Society of Cardiology) — New research has uncovered immune changes in cancer patients that could help identify which patients are most at risk of dangerous heart complications from cancer drugs, known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. The study was led by Assistant Professor Pilar Martín, Head of the…

Prior Authorization Reform Champion Amanda Watson Dies After Long Battle With Breast Cancer

Amanda Watson shares her prior authorization journey at NCMS press conference Amanda Watson, mother of two, NCMS Prior Auth Reform Speaker Dies After Cancer Battle Prior authorization reform champion, Amanda Watson, passed away on June 23, 2025, after a battle with breast cancer. Her physician, NCMS Member Representative Dr. Grant Campbell put out the following statement on social media:…

Duke University is Betting on High Schoolers. Is This Good News for the Medical Profession in NC?

Duke University is Betting on High Schoolers. Is This Good News for the Medical Profession in NC? (Becker's Hospital Review, Kelly Gooch) — In the past few years, a number of health systems have partnered with schools and nonprofits to support healthcare-focused high schools — and leaders say the results have been promising on a number of levels. Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health…

NCDHHS Director of Mental Health Responds to Elimination of Federal Funding for 988 Suicide Lifeline Dedicated to LGBTQ+ Youth Services

  NCDHHS Director of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services on Elimination of Federal Funding for 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Dedicated to LGBTQ+ Youth Services (NCDHHS, June 20, 2025) -- The United States Department of Health and Human Services recently announced it would eliminate federal funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline service…

UNC Study: Alzheimer’s Risk Gene May Disrupt Brain Health

Sarah Cohen’s lab at UNC School of Medicine is studying the impact of the APOE4 protein on brain cells in its search for treatments. (UNC, Scott Jared) -- A discovery by a UNC School of Medicine cell biology lab could reshape how scientists understand and treat Alzheimer’s disease. The research team is led by Sarah Cohen, assistant professor in the medical school’s cell biology and physiology…

FDA approves new twice-yearly HIV shot. What You and Your Patients Need to know

It is expensive, but could it be what your patients are looking for? (USA Today, Ken Alltucker) -- The Food and Drug Administration has approved Gilead's HIV prevention drug lenacapavir, a twice-a-year injectable medication that clinical trials show prevents new infections. The drug will be marketed under the name Yeztugo and sell for an annual price of $28,218, or $14,109 per injection. Gilead…

In Memoriam: NCMS Member, Golden Stethoscope Award Winner Dr. Joseph “Joey” Bell

Dr. Joseph "Joey" Bell Won the 2023 NCMS Golden Stethoscope Award (Locklear and Son Funeral Home) --      Dr. Joseph “Joey” Tyron Bell, 66, of Robeson County, NC — beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, dedicated physician, and proud member of the Lumbee Tribe — left the loving arms of his family to be welcomed home by his heavenly Father on June 16, 2025 at the Durham VA Hospice…

NCDHHS-DHB Stakeholder Teleconference Scheduled for June 25

  NEW WEBINAR SERIES NC Medicaid Provider Enrollment NCDHHS-DHB Credentialing Committee Initiative Stakeholder Engagement Session #3   Please join NC AHEC and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Health Benefits (DHB), for the third stakeholder teleconference on June 25 from 2-3 p.m. to continue the discussion of a new initiative led in…

NCCPRW

We Exist for You CENTERING CLINICIAN AND PHYSICIAN WELL-BEING IN NORTH CAROLINA The NCCPRW Consortium exists to support the well-being of North Carolina’s clinical professionals. We work to foster a culture that reduces stress, improves retention, promotes well-being, and creates healthier work environments so our clinicians can thrive in their careers and their lives. THE…

Deserts For Women’s Health Care Services Expand In Rural NC Counties

Deserts For Women’s Health Care Services Expand In Rural NC Counties (Carolina Public Press, Jane Winik Startwell) — Rural hospitals could be putting pregnant women and babies at risk by slashing labor and delivery services across North Carolina. Natasha Fuller delivered her two children at Charles A. Cannon Memorial Hospital in remote and mountainous Avery County in 2011 and 2014. Now, she…

NCMB Extends Deadline for Physician Board Member Applications

NCMB Extends Deadline for Physician Board Member Applications Application deadline extended! Physician applications for NCMB now due by June 30 Applicants are needed for three physician seats on the North Carolina Medical Board for terms beginning Nov. 1. All positions must be filled by the process set down in statute (N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-2 and 90-3), which requires interested parties to…

Updated NC Medicaid Standard Plan PCP Change Forms

Updated NC Medicaid Standard Plan PCP Change Forms The Standard Plans (SP) have updated their PCP Change Forms. These forms may be submitted when a member requests to change their Primary Care Provider (PCP), thereby adding the member to the provider’s panel. In response to provider feedback, the forms have been revised to allow PCPs to attest to verbal member consent in cases where a written…

NCDHHS Launches PATH NC

NCDHHS Launches PATH NC (NCDHHS) — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced the launch of PATH NC (Partnership and Technology Hub for North Carolina), a new statewide information system that marks a major step forward in modernizing the administration of child welfare services. PATH NC equips child welfare staff with real-time data and decision-making tools to better…

Empowering Future Clinicians: NC Advocacy in Medicine Fellowship Seeking Applicants

Empowering Future Clinicians: NC Advocacy in Medicine Fellowship Seeking Applicants A groundbreaking new initiative is uniting all five North Carolina medical schools and physician assistant programs to train the next generation of healthcare advocates. The NC Advocacy in Medicine Fellowship is a state-wide program designed to equip medical and PA students with the tools to engage…

With Intense Heat On The Way, Local Doctor Shares Ways Your Patients Can Stay Safe

With Intense Heat On The Way, Local Doctor Shares Ways Your Patients Can Stay Safe (WTOC 11, Brontë Sorotsky) — It’s almost officially the first day of summer, but the Southeast is already starting to see those feel like temperatures get into the triple digits. When it gets this hot, health experts say it can lead to more health concerns like heat exhaustion, especially for more vulnerable…

Nanoneedle Patch Could Replace Painful Traditional Biopsies

Nanoneedle Patch Could Replace Painful Traditional Biopsies (News Medical Life Sciences, King's College London) — A patch containing tens of millions of microscopic nanoneedles could soon replace traditional biopsies, scientists have found. The patch offers a painless and less invasive alternative for millions of patients worldwide who undergo biopsies each year to detect and monitor diseases…

Funding Cuts Force One Of North Carolina’s Only Long Covid Clinics To Shut Its Doors

Funding Cuts Force One Of North Carolina’s Only Long Covid Clinics To Shut Its Doors (The News and Observer, Nora O'Neill) — Finding treatment may soon become more difficult for the thousands of North Carolinians battling long-term COVID-19 symptoms. The UNC COVID Recovery Clinic, one of the only clinics in the state designed to treat patients with Long COVID, closed on June 16 due to funding…

NCCPRW Is Proud to be a Platinum Sponsor at the Joy and Wholeness Summit, July 23-25 in Asheville

NCCPRW is proud to be a Platinum Sponsor at the Joy and Wholeness Summit! Crowne Plaza, Asheville, NCDates: July 23-25, 2025 The Joy & Wholeness Summit is a heartfelt gathering where healthcare professionals, including physicians, advanced practice providers (APPs), and leaders, come together to reimagine what it means to thrive in medicine. Held July 23-25, 2025, at the stunning…

Digital Tool May Predict Childhood Asthma

Digital Tool May Predict Childhood Asthma (HealthDay, Dennis Thompson) — A new digital tool can flag kids who are at risk for developing childhood asthma, researchers report. The tool scans electronic health data records and calculates an asthma risk score for children, according to results published recently in eClinical Medicine. It relies on information that’s routinely collected as…

Six 1st-Of-Its-Kind Procedures Performed In 2025, Including One at Duke

Six 1st-Of-Its-Kind Procedures Performed In 2025, Including One at Duke (Becker's Hospital Review, Mariah Taylor) — In the first half of 2025, eight systems have performed first-of-their-kind procedures and clinical treatments. 1. Morgantown, WV-based WVU Heart and Vascular Institute physicians completed the world’s first robotic transcatheter aortic valve replacement explant and aortic valve…