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This is a MedPage Today story. Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to prescribe medications to patients — if a new bill makes its way through Congress. The proposed legislation, sponsored by Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to clarify that AI and machine learning technologies can qualify as a practitioner eligible to prescribe drugs if authorized by the state involved and approved by the FDA. The bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in January. But Adam Rodman, MD, MPH, a hospitalist and director of AI programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, told MedPage Today that the technology is not nearly where it needs to be for this kind of prescribing. However, "[t]hings are accelerating so quickly," he added, "I don’t doubt that we will be having this conversation," at some…

This is a MedPage Today story. A German physician who was arrested last summer on suspicion of killing four patients is now suspected of killing 10, and in some cases he allegedly tried to cover up evidence by starting fires. (AP) Pediatrician Anita Damodaran, MD, has been accused of animal cruelty after a March 2024 incident in which a cleaning woman found a malnourished dog inside a plastic storage bin in an apartment. Damodaran was reportedly being evicted from the apartment at the time of the incident. (FOX 32) Ohio physician Andrew Campbell, MD, was accused of setting fire to another doctor’s home, and was placed on administrative leave from the University of Toledo Medical Center. (13ABC) Families involved in an ongoing investigation weren’t happy to learn that the Virginia neonatal nurse accused of harming infants was granted bond. (WRIC) A student has sued the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital over its internship program that supports…

This is a MedPage Today story. Of five major HHS agency offices focused on health equity, only one has taken down its website amid President Trump’s executive orders to end federal government diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives. The FDA’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity website has been taken down, though it remained live as recently as last Thursday. Websites remain live for the following agencies:HHS Office of Minority HealthCMS Office of Minority HealthNIH National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)CDC Office of Health Equity The website for the Health Resources & Services Administration’s (HRSA) Office of Health Equity has also been taken down. However, it’s not clear if the executive orders pertain only to DEIA initiatives focused on the federal health workforce, or if also to those agencies’ initiatives to improve health equity in the general population. If it doesn’t pertain to public-facing programs, it’s…

This is a MedPage Today story. President Trump said he would take health agencies in a new direction on the campaign trail and has chosen some controversial nominees to help him achieve his goal, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick for HHS secretary. However, it remains unclear how much could actually change if Kennedy were to be confirmed. To answer that question, MedPage Today spoke with legal experts, former CMS and White House officials, and others who worked alongside health agencies to gauge the potential for substantial reforms across HHS and its sub-agencies. Can Kennedy Terminate Employees at FDA, Other Agencies? In October, Kennedy posted on X that "FDA’s war on public health is about to end." He criticized the agency’s "aggressive suppression" of a number of unproven therapies, including ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, and warned, "If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack…