health take | West Nile Cases in Minnesota, Medicare to Test Prior Authorization
9.2.25
SHOTS: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “The most life-saving vaccines of 2025-26 will probably be the flu and COVID shots. Don't forget to get vaccinated this fall! National Immunization Awareness Month.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3HVEmvO (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
RFK JR: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Americans across the political spectrum support efforts to increase food regulation, a major priority for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — but there's a partisan split over his views on childhood vaccines. Why it matters: Polling shows the broad popularity of some of Kennedy's views, even as he deeply divides the country over vaccines — and throws the federal agencies he oversees into chaos.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UT13Uq
POT: Via Marijuana Moment, VERBATIM: “A Texas law significantly expanding the state’s medical marijuana program by adding qualifying conditions for patients has officially gone into effect as of Monday. And a new poll shows that a vast majority of consumers agree that people with one of those new conditions in particular, chronic pain, stand to benefit . . . A new survey from the marijuana telehealth platform NuggMD shows that many consumers—91 percent–feel cannabis is especially effective in the treatment of that condition.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47qdkY2
PROSTATE CANCER: Via HealthDay, VERBATIM: “Too often, American men and their loved ones mistakenly believe that prostate cancers must always present with symptoms, a new poll shows. Of the people polled, 4 out of 5 people (80%) did not know that the early-stage prostate cancer often arises in the absence of symptoms and is typically only diagnosed with a blood test.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g35KEZ
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
DHS AUDIT: Via news release from Rep. Kristin Robbins, VERBATIM: “In late July, Rep. Kristin Robbins (R-Maple Grove), Chair of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, and other GOP lawmakers, sent a formal letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requesting a federal audit of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). The letter outlines serious concerns about the widespread failure to prevent fraud within DHS programs . . . Late last Friday, the committee received news that the federal government is already conducting an audit of Minnesota Medicaid autism therapy services and would potentially expand its investigation to consider the serious issues raised in Robbins' letter.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41yG3WM
BLOOD: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “As 18 people recover after Wednesday’s shootings at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, local blood centers are seeking more donations. Memorial Blood Centers declared a blood emergency in Minnesota earlier this month, meaning the state’s blood supply is dangerously low. That was declared before the tragedy in Minneapolis. MBC Executive Director Jennifer Kaluza said the organization provided 252 blood products to local hospitals in response to the shootings. While that supply came from previous donations, Kaluza said the community response has been almost overwhelming. People are coming in to donate at a high volume.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/41xQ2LW
WEST NILE: Via Nothern News Now, VERBATIM: “Health Leaders are warning the public of an increase in West Nile Virus cases in the state of Minnesota. The disease is transmitted through infected mosquitoes. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, there have been 20 cases and two deaths in the state this year, despite just getting into the peak season now.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4lWuAYj
MEDICAID SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF US: Medicaid keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan — regardless of income or health status — can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3FtrCuH (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
SEX ED: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump’s administration this week told 40 states to eliminate parts of lessons that focus on LGBTQ+ issues from federally funded sexual education materials or that they will lose funding. The move is the latest in a line of efforts since Trump returned to the White House in January to recognize people as only male or female and to eliminate what he calls ‘gender ideology.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41zIc4r
MAYO: Via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “In May 2023, as the Minnesota Legislature voted on its final bills of the session, an internal Mayo Clinic matter — which would have, ordinarily, been kept under wraps — came to light. The health system's Board of Trustees was considering a multi-billion dollar expansion plan that would later be known as ‘Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester.’ But, as Mayo Clinic's vice chair of external engagement wrote in a May 3, 2023 email to state leaders, the health system ‘cannot proceed with seeking approval’ from the board ‘to make this investment in Minnesota,’ citing the impending passage of two bills that addressed nurse staffing ratios and rising health care costs. It was not only the public's first glimpse at the Unbound initiative, but also a rare peek at the Board of Trustees' agenda.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lWhI4A
DOCS: Via Medscape, VERBATIM: “Colorado’s statewide ban on physician noncompete agreements took effect last month, but that’s cold comfort for Amy Glaser-Carpenter, DO. The primary care physician left the state in 2017 because she was unhappy working at San Luis Valley Health, Alamosa, Colorado. Glaser-Carpenter, who loves the outdoors, wanted to hang her own shingle so she could remain in the valley, surrounded by its sand dunes and mountains. But a noncompete agreement with the health system barred her from practicing medicine there for 24 months . . . Tens of thousands of US doctors are locked in similar predicaments to Glaser-Carpenter’s. While there are no nationwide tallies of doctors working under noncompetes, one 2018 study of primary care physicians found that 45% of clinicians who work at group practices are bound by these agreements.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3VsGT3F
MEDICARE: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Private insurers often require a cumbersome review process that frequently results in the denial or delay of essential treatments that are readily covered by traditional Medicare. This practice, known as prior authorization, has drawn public scrutiny, which intensified after the murder of a UnitedHealthcare executive last December . . . The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to begin a pilot program that would involve a similar review process for traditional Medicare, the federal insurance program for people 65 and older as well as for many younger people with disabilities. The pilot would start in six states next year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m1Gn7R
ADDICTION: Via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “When a person struggling with substance use disorder decides to seek help, it can be hard to know how to do that, or where to go. ‘Navigating help for substance use and mental health, it's challenging, it's fragmented,’ said Tori Utley Krueger, executive director of Doc's Recovery House. ‘People don't know where to turn; you don't know what providers to call.’ To address this need for helpful information in one place, staff at Doc's — a Rochester recovery community organization and sober living community — built Rochester Recovers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mDYNwt
CLOQUET: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “An International Overdose Awareness Day event was held at the Veterans Park in Cloquet on Sunday. The event was organized by Kerrie Sorenson, who lost her own daughter to an overdose three years ago. ‘I’m here because my daughter died from an overdose when she was 22, and from 20 to 22 it was a hard ride,’ said Sorenson, who wishes she had known about the resources available sooner.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/47jGZlv
DIZZINESS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “An aging population, still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, is seeking more treatment for dizziness and imbalance in Minnesota. Clinics specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of dizziness have opened or expanded across the Twin Cities, and their appointments are filling up. Associated Hearing Care hired a specialist and installed a rotating diagnostic chair last year at its St. Paul clinic, and already dizziness evaluations make up 10% of the provider’s business across 10 clinics.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45Kamw5
ESSENTIA HEALTH INVESTS IN TWIN PORTS NURSES: Total payroll for Essentia Health Duluth-Superior nurses is $164 million, with $53 million paid in salary increases over the past 3 years. Essentia Health has also increased clinical support staff by 10% over the past 3 years, providing additional support for those nurses. Over half of Duluth area nurses have been with us for over 5 years and enjoy exceptional work-life balance. To join our team at Essentia Health, search for openings HERE: https://fluence-media.co/3FzLe0i (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
COVID: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “President Trump on Monday urged pharmaceutical companies to publicly prove that their Covid-19 products work, saying in a Truth Social post that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is ‘being ripped apart over this question’ . . . Drug companies have long shared findings with government regulators and the public showing that their Covid-19 products are overwhelmingly safe and effective. In his post, Trump said he has been shown data demonstrating the vaccines and drugs are effective and have saved millions of lives, but he accused the companies behind the products of not sharing that information publicly — or with officials at the CDC.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4p9uHTo
CDC: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “On Thursday, the Trump administration selected Jim O’Neill, a former biotechnology executive and the deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to serve as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pick leaves the nation’s premier public health agency under the leadership of an official without medical or scientific training, and seems likely to tighten political control of the agency, critics in Congress said. The decision follows a tumultuous few days at the agency in which its new director, Susan Monarez, was fired and several other top officials resigned.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46jYRM4
MORE: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership is ‘unlike anything our country has ever experienced,’ nine former directors and acting directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in a scathing guest essay Monday for The New York Times.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gePnVN
HPV: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “A Mayo Clinic study finds that a shortened, less intense course of radiation and chemotherapy after minimally invasive surgery for HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV+OPSCC) results in less toxicity, substantially lowering the rates of treatment-related side effects while maintaining high cure rates. The findings were published in The Lancet Oncology.” QUOTE: "This is a game-changer for patients," says Daniel Ma, M.D., senior author of the study and head and neck radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. "We've significantly reduced the burden of long-term side effects without compromising the effectiveness of the treatment. This shorter, less intensive regimen allows patients to return to their lives more quickly and with a better quality of life." READ: https://fluence-media.co/47l7ebj
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
THIS MONTH: Via UofM CIDRAP, VERBATIM: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted the agenda for the upcoming meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP meeting, to be held on September 18 and 19 at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, will include discussions and possible votes on recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines; hepatitis B vaccine; measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine; and respiratory syncytial virus. The ACIP will also provide updates on its work groups. But in a new development today spurred by recent upheaval at the CDC, a US senator is calling for the meeting to be postponed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mLZ8xf
WEIGHT LOSS: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Novo Nordisk said its blockbuster Wegovy weight-loss drug cuts the risk of heart attack, stroke or death by 57% compared with Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound. The Danish pharmaceutical giant said Sunday that the study suggests the heart-protective benefits of semaglutide—the active ingredient in Wegovy—may not be the same for all GLP-1 drugs such as tirzepatide, which is the active ingredient in Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45L42oc
GAVIN: Via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “At the beginning of his eighth-grade year, Gavin Hubka’s world was flipped upside down. Hubka, a 2025 Kingsland High School grad, was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome after his mom noticed his chest was sticking out abnormally. ‘He went from playing basketball and football and all the sports, cross country, whatever, to being told that he had to stop immediately,’ Gavin’s mom, Sally Hubka, said. Marfan syndrome is a ‘disorder that affects the fibers that support and anchor organs and other structures in the body,’ most commonly affecting the heart, eyes, blood vessels and skeleton, according to Mayo Clinic. It’s usually hereditary, but not in Gavin’s case, since no one else in his family has it. Gavin stood on the sidelines as a student assistant coach for the boys basketball team, alongside his dad, Kingsland head coach Jim Hubka, for three years before he could play again. Despite everything he was going through, he rarely, if ever, missed a game or practice during that time.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4p4qr7m
BRAIN TUMOR: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Clinicians typically classify meningiomas — the most common type of brain tumor — into three grades, ranging from slow-growing to aggressive. But a new multi-institutional study suggests that appearances may be deceiving. If a tumor shows activity in a gene called telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), it tends to recur more quickly, even if it looks low-grade under the microscope. The findings, published Sept. 1 in Lancet Oncology, could significantly change how doctors diagnose and treat meningiomas.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HHCTt8
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CANNABIS: From PLOS via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “A long-term study following insomnia patients treated with cannabis-based medical products revealed sustained improvements in sleep quality, mood, and pain management over 18 months. Most participants reported better rest and less anxiety or depression, while only a small fraction experienced mild side effects such as fatigue or dry mouth.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45S4MXa
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