Specialty Medicine

Air Quality Alerts Blanket the Northeast as Canadian Smoke Pushes the AQI Into the Unhealthy Band

George Padron
Specialty Medicine, Healthcare Headlines, Workforce & Practice, Pulmonology | Jul 16, 2026
Wildfire smoke drove Northeast air quality into the Unhealthy band Thursday. At AQI 151 to 200, the guidance covers everyone, and only KN95 or N95 masks help.

Medicare Advantage Star Measures Leave Kidney Care Gaps

Sonia Reyes
Specialty Medicine, Healthcare Headlines, Policy & Legislation | Jul 15, 2026
An ASN committee review finds Medicare Advantage Star measures capture almost no guideline-directed kidney care, even as ESRD enrollment in MA now tops 50%.

Dr. Iris Kopeloff - Why Women's Skin Health Needs a Life-Stage Lens

Sonia Reyes
Viewpoints, Dermatology & Allergy | Jul 13, 2026
Dr. Iris Kopeloff of Organon discusses how hormonal transitions can shape inflammatory skin disease, treatment decisions, and the need for more individualized dermatologic care.

Two-Drug HIV Tablet Versus Standard First-Line Regimen in Phase 3 Trial

George Padron
Specialty Medicine, ID & Vaccines, Clinical Trial Updates | Jul 10, 2026
A phase 3 trial finds the two-drug doravirine-islatravir tablet noninferior to bictegravir-emtricitabine-tenofovir for initial HIV-1 treatment at 48 weeks.

Public Healthcare Costs Associated With Smoking in Hong Kong

George Padron
Specialty Medicine, Pulmonology, Managed Care, Population Health Management | Jul 9, 2026
A Hong Kong cohort of 1.57 million ties smoking to higher outpatient, emergency, and hospital costs, with women's cost multipliers exceeding men's.