June 19, 2024

June 19, 2024 Customer Newsletter

By Challenger Corporation · 2 minute read

cust nl

AMA Officially Endorses Drug Decriminalization
Roadmap to Success
Harvard Physicians on the Digital Healthcare Revolution
US Lawsuit Against Telehealth

American Medical Association Officially Endorses Drug Decriminalization

Two issues with the article. The first is that, despite the lurid headline, the policy statement is more about shifting to intervention, preventing the initiation of drug use, and dealing with individual use. The second is that the AMA policy adoption process is insanely broad. There have been over 4,000 policies or resolutions from the AMA in the last five years (one of them is against cannabis legalization, for instance). The way to read this is that there’s pushback against the criminalization of individuals and recognition that not much is working.

The problem, of course, is that psychiatric health, drug abuse, profits from dealing in illegal drugs, and the legal framework for when and how to care for someone that is incompetent are complicated and interrelated. It's cheaper to leave them on the streets or in the ER, at least until your tax base starts moving out.

American Medical Association Officially Endorses Drug Decriminalization: We Need 'Something That Actually Works'

American Medical Association Delegates Vote to Decriminalize Drug Use, Possession

Tips for a Strategic Study Plan for the Internal Medicine Certification Exam

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Certification Exam is coming August 15. A strategic ABIM Exam study plan can ensure adequate preparation and success on the big day. There isn't a single plan that works for everyone, as each physician is different and has a unique set of medical knowledge.

Here are some pointers on how to make a strategic study plan.

Try out Med-Challenger's
IM Exam Review with CME & MOC Credits
Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses After Reviewing Med-Challenger's Internal Medicine Board Review course
Locate the Internal Medicine Question Bank
Determine Your Available Study Time
Develop Your ABIM Study Schedule
Assign Study Categories to Specific Time Slots in Your Calendar
Conduct a Candid Self-Assessment
Integrate Milestones into Your Schedule and Set Methods to Track Your Progress
Incorporate Key Tasks into Your Final Study Phase

Check out additional tips on how to prepare for the ABIM Exam, Eight Tips to Pass ABIM Exam

Harvard Physicians on the Digital Healthcare Revolution

A report from MESH Core 2024, which is a Harvard sponsored boot camp for healthcare innovation, which is primarily biomedical or digital tools in this case. The June article about private equity and the practice of medicine gets a shout-out. 🙂

The physicians at the conference are on point with the need to integrate some medical innovation training into both practices and residencies, though. Technological innovation is moving a lot more rapidly than upskilling and training.

Big, Fat, and Sick” Institutions—Can Digital Healthcare Help? - Harvard

Private Equity and the Practice of Medicine - Harvard

U.S. Lawsuit Against Telehealth Providers and Executives Should Turn Heads

The FTC, which went after the online telehealth mental health provider for deceptive practices and violations of the Opioid Act, is expanding its case to pursue top executives and related firms they’ve founded, as well as expanding charges against Cerebral. Cerebral purportedly put in tracking cookies, sold patient access data to advertisers, disclosed private patient information, and made a cancellation process that rivals that of a cable TV service.

Founded in 2020, the startup received over $450 million in investment and was something of a venture capital darling in San Francisco. They still function as a clinician referral service, have since ousted the executives, but have stopped prescribing. The amended complaint from the US Justice Department is pursuing the executives in connection with other telehealth companies.

Kind of a clear sign that government is now paying attention to telehealth.

U.S. Lawsuit Against Telehealth Providers and Executives Should Turn Heads