In today's episode, Dr. Alok Patel (@alokpatelmd) & Eva Johnson cover CMS's sweeping 2027 physician fee schedule proposal, which would accelerate Medicare's shift from fee-for-service toward value-based, preventive care. They also unpack Kalshi's launch of clinical trial prediction markets; betting on FDA approvals is now a real thing, and the ethical questions are piling up. Coffee gets a heart health endorsement from the AHA, and an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease hits Manhattan's Upper East Side. Last, but far from least, we discuss the FDA's transparency whiplash on rejection letters, the first RCT of a ketogenic diet for severe mental illness, and more.

Coverage Timeline:

(00:00) Intro & Trivia Question

(01:17) Medicare Physician Payment Overhaul

(04:30) Prediction Markets for Clinical Trials

(07:12) Off the Clock: FDA, Coffee, Outbreak, Ketogenic Diet

(09:57) Trivia Answer

(11:07) Outro & Disclaimers

Have a story, think we missed something, want to say hi, or curious to learn about the Medlines team? Visit www.medlinespod.com or email medlines@human-content.com

Sources & Media Attributions for Today's Episode Available At: www.medlinespod.com/sources

Medlines is a Human Content Production

In today’s episode, Dr. Will Flanary / Dr. Glaucomflecken (@drglaucomflecken) and Adam Rose cover the EPCAT III trial, which found that aspirin alone was non-inferior to an initial course of rivaroxaban followed by aspirin for preventing major blood clots after elective hip or knee replacement in predominantly standard-risk patients. They examine NICE’s draft recommendation allowing two rapid endometriosis tests, EndoSure and Endotest, to enter limited NHS use while researchers gather additional real-world evidence. Plus: They discuss a recall involving more than 2.5 million bottles of prednisolone acetate eye drops, the first HAVANA Act compensation payments, the expanding Cyclospora response, and The Pitt leading the 2026 Emmy nominations with 25 nods. (00:00) Intro (01:07) Aspirin vs. Rivaroxaban After Joint Replacement (03:19) NICE Endorses Rapid Endometriosis Tests (05:30) FDA Recall of Prednisolone Eye Drops (06:07) First Havana Syndrome Payments (06:41) Cyclospora Outbreak Reaches Taco Bell (07:10) The Pitt Leads Emmy Nominations

Have a story, think we missed something, want to say hi, or curious to learn about the Medlines team? Visit www.medlinespod.com or email medlines@human-content.com.

Sources & Media Attributions for Today’s Episode Available At: www.medlinespod.com/sources

Medlines is a Human Content Production

In today's episode, Dr. Will Flanary / Dr. Glaucomflecken (@drglaucomflecken) & Eva Johnson cover the retraction of the Advocate trial after FDA reviewers found the avacopan (Tavneos) dataset was unblinded, re-adjudicated, and altered before being relocked, throwing its approval for ANCA-associated vasculitis into doubt. They break down Medicare's new GLP-1 Bridge program, which offers eligible Part D beneficiaries drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound at $50 a month through the end of 2027, and why that copay sits outside normal Part D accounting. They also track a Cyclospora outbreak now reported across 18 states and why routine washing does not reliably kill it. Plus: they also discuss Alibaba's $600 million fentanyl-precursor settlement, the WHO's first emergency-use Ebola (Bundibugyo) diagnostic, France's deadly heat wave, and more.

Coverage Timeline:

(00:00) Intro
(01:04) Vasculitis Trial Retracted:
(03:44) Medicare’s GLP‑1 Bridge
(06:02) Parasite, Ebola, Heat Wave

Have a story, think we missed something, want to say hi, or curious to learn about the Medlines team? Visit www.medlinespod.com or email medlines@human-content.com.

Sources & Media Attributions for Today's Episode Available At:

www.medlinespod.com/sources

Medlines is a Human Content Production

In today's inaugural episode, Dr. Will Flanary / Dr. Glaucomflecken (@drglaucomflecken) & Dr. Alok Patel (@alokpatelmd) cover a sharp drop in ACA marketplace enrollment after enhanced tax credits expired, from 24.2 million enrollees in 2025 to roughly 19.2 million in 2026 (a loss of 5 million Americans' health coverage). India is rationing two cornerstone chemotherapy drugs, cisplatin and carboplatin, after supply disruptions tied to rising platinum costs and capped essential medicine prices. A new Annals of Internal Medicine study finds older adults who received a shingles vaccine had a 24 percent lower relative risk of dementia diagnosis. Plus: heat linked to rising suicide rates in young people, the return of the 988 LGBTQ+ crisis line, and a phase 3 trial of infigratinib for achondroplasia.

Coverage Timeline:

(00:00) Medlines begins!

(01:44) ACA enrollment drops as credits expire

(03:42) India rations cisplatin & carboplatin

(06:03) Shingles vaccine & dementia risk

(06:38) Climate, youth suicide & 988 hotline

(08:26) Amy Adams' real-life rescue

Have a story, think we missed something, want to say hi, or curious to learn about the Medlines team? Visit www.medlinespod.com or email medlines@human-content.com.

Sources & Media Attributions for Today's Episode Available At: www.medlinespod.com/sources

Medlines is a Human Content Production

Kick off your Fridays with Dr. Will Flanary (aka Dr. Glaucomflecken), Dr. Alok Patel, Adam Rose, and Eva Johnson as they bring you the week’s most important headlines across clinical care, health policy, publications, medical pop culture, and more. Presented with clear, unbiased, fact-first reporting made strictly for healthcare professionals, by healthcare professionals.

Subscribe for new episodes every Friday wherever you get your podcasts (or watch on YouTube.

Medicine moves fast... So do we!

Want to learn about the Medlines mission? Visit www.medlinespod.com or email medlines@human-content.com.

Medlines is a Human Content Production