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Physician in the Loop

Daily briefingNov 9, 2026

Stopping statins after 70 meets noninferiority but adds 1 event per 40 patients

Answers come only from Physician in the Loop's published reviews, law map, explainers and posts, with links. They can be wrong. They are not medical or legal advice. Do not enter patient information. How it works

AI toolsEvidence reviews of the AI tools physicians meet in practice, each graded A to D on what published studies show.102 tools graded, in 16 categoriesSee the reviewsLaw mapWhat each state and the federal government has enacted or proposed on AI in health care, and what it means for physicians.250 law entries in 48 jurisdictionsOpen the mapRHTP trackerWhere each state's Rural Health Transformation Program money is going, with open and upcoming funding rounds.50 states trackedOpen the tracker

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A free account comes with the Friday letter by email. Plus and Pro open every article, every full tool review and the whole law map.

Physician in the Loop

Special topic

The cut Congress wrote

Most of next year's Medicare cut to doctors is written into law. Congress should tie the yearly update to what practices pay, and the new same-day cut will move appointments more than money.

Nov. 9
Illustration of a stack of plain coins with a wedge cut from the top coin, the wedge picked out in amber.
Daily briefing

Stents or bypass for stable heart disease add no survival at 11 years

Nov. 8
Illustration: a carpenter's level rests on two pedestals, featuring a mesh stent on the left end and a capsule on the right.
Daily briefing

U.S. measles cases pass 5,000, the most since 1991

Nov. 7
Illustration: a cracked rosette with a check mark and ribbon tails on textured paper.
Special topic

The doctor one screen away

In 2022 one emergency department in thirteen lacked an attending physician around the clock. Every rural one should have an emergency physician on video at all hours, paid for by Medicare rather than grants.

Nov. 6
Illustration of a small rural hospital at dusk on a flat prairie, with an ambulance canopy, a satellite dish on its roof and one window glowing amber.

The Friday letter

All letters
Oct 31 to Nov 5, 2026

Running up the tab

AI was sold to medicine as a way to save time and money. This week's evidence suggests it often spends both, and it should be paid for only when it saves them.

Daily briefing

Smartwatch AI spots more hypertension than an office cuff check

Nov. 6
Illustration: a smartwatch connected by a tube to a blood pressure inflation bulb.
Special topic

The wrong suspects

Measles cases this year are more than twice last year's. Texas is investigating the pediatricians who vaccinate children, and the children who depend on those doctors will pay.

Nov. 5
Illustration: a medical refrigerator with glass doors is chained and padlocked, holding cartons and bottles on shelves inside.

Dates ahead

All dates
  • Nov. 13FriNo Surprises Act IDR Gateway web forms open
  • Nov. 14SatComments due on Palmetto and Noridian proposals to stop covering AI brain MRI quantification
  • Nov. 15SunHLTH 2026, Las Vegas (November 15 to 18)
Daily briefing

Medicare cuts physician pay 2.31% for 2027, deeper than it proposed

Nov. 5
Special topic

The patient counts

Theranos is remembered for defrauding investors. For doctors the lesson is what happened to patients. Products that change care still reach them on their makers' word, before the evidence.

Nov. 4
Daily briefing

Asthma guideline ranks steroid rescue inhalers above albuterol alone

Nov. 4
For patients

Bringing AI's answers to your doctor

Many people ask an AI chatbot about symptoms, or get smartwatch alerts, before they see a doctor. How to make that information useful at a visit, and when to get help right away.

Oct. 5

Answers come only from Physician in the Loop's published reviews, law map, explainers and posts, with links. They can be wrong. They are not medical or legal advice. Do not enter patient information. How it works