Top news stories from AMA Morning Rounds®: Week of July 8, 2024

Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of July 8, 2024–July 12, 2024.

The Hill (7/11, O'Connell-Domenech) reported, “Four in 10 cancer cases and about half of cancer deaths among U.S. adults 30 years old and older in 2019 were linked to ‘modifiable’ risk factors like smoking, drinking, poor diet and not getting vaccinated, according to a new study.” The findings were published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

CNN (7/11, McPhillips) reported, “There were 10 types of cancer where modifiable risk factors could be attributed to at least 80% of new cases, including more than 90% of melanoma cases linked to ultraviolet radiation and nearly all cases of cervical cancer linked to HPV infection.” Meanwhile, “lung cancer had the largest number of cases attributable to modifiable risk factors...and the vast majority were linked to smoking.” The researchers found that “excess body weight was the second largest contributor to cancer cases, linked to about 5% of new cases in men and nearly 11% of cases in women,” with the data also indicating that “it was associated with more than a third of deaths from cancer of the endometrium, gallbladder, esophagus, liver and kidney.”

Cardiovascular Business (7/10, Walter) reports that CMS “has released its proposed rule for the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule...and it once again includes cuts to the reimbursements physicians will receive when treating Medicare patients.” Cardiovascular Business adds, “According to the new proposal, the 2025 conversion factor would be $32.36, down approximately 2.8% from 2024.” AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD, said, “The death by a thousand cuts continues.” Dr. Scott added, “Rural physicians and those treating underserved populations see this CMS warning as another reminder of the painful challenges they face in keeping their practices open and providing care. It’s crucial that we ensure both continue.”

Editor’s note: With CMS estimating a fifth consecutive year of Medicare payment reductions—this time by 2.8%—it’s evident that Congress must solve this problem. Read more from the AMA.

The New York Times (7/9, Abelson, Robbins) says, “The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday sharply criticized pharmacy benefit managers, saying in a scathing 71-page report that ‘these powerful middlemen may be profiting by inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies.’” FTC Chair Lina Khan “said the agency’s inquiry had shown ‘how dominant pharmacy benefit managers can hike the cost of drugs—including overcharging patients for cancer drugs.’” Khan “went on to say that the agency found evidence of ‘how PBMs can squeeze independent pharmacies that many Americans—especially those in rural communities —depend on for essential care.’”

Reuters (7/9, Aboulenein, Godoy, Wingrove, Niasse) reports, “The consolidation of pharmacies and health insurance companies through years of deal making has led to a handful of pharmacy benefit managers exercising outsized influence over prescription drug prices, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday.” The agency “argues the three biggest PBMs—managing 79% of U.S. prescription drug claims—have greatly enriched themselves at the expense of smaller pharmacies and consumers, according to an interim staff report calling for possible greater regulation.”

The Hill (7/9, Weixel) says, “Six of the largest PBMs control nearly 95% of all prescriptions, according to the report.”

NBC News (7/8, Lovelace) reports, “Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound, leads to more weight loss than semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, new research suggests.” The study found “people who took semaglutide lost, on average, 3.6% of their body weight after 3 months; 5.8% after 6 months; and 8.3% after 12 months.” Individuals “who took tirzepatide lost a greater percentage of body weight each month, compared to semaglutide: an average of 5.9% of their body weight after 3 months; 10.1% after 6 months; and 15.3% after 12 months.” The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

CNN (7/8, McPhillips) reports, “Both medications were effective—the vast majority of people taking either tirzepatide or semaglutide lost at least 5% of their starting body weight after one year of use.” However, “82% of people taking tirzepatide reached this important clinical benchmark, compared with about 67% of those taking semaglutide.”

You may also be interested in: 6 health tips obesity medicine physicians want you to know

Health Exec (7/3, Fornell) said, “The American Medical Association (AMA) said more than 50% of physicians reported feeling burned out over the past three years, and this has led to large numbers retiring or changing jobs.” In order “to combat this, the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) recently adopted a policy directing the AMA to conduct ongoing research using health data on the physicians themselves to identify and better understand workplace stressors.” The newly adopted “policy calls for the AMA to monitor and report on the research regarding the effective use of personal and biological data to assess the wellbeing of the health care professional workforce.” According to Health Exec, “the HOD said this research should be used to...inform organizational interventions to help mitigate burnout.”

Editor’s note: The AMA is working to reduce physician burnout. Learn more about our ongoing efforts to remove administrative burdens, provide real-world solutions and help physicians rediscover the joy in health care.

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