Optometrists in the Department of Veterans Affairs, as of this year, are paid on par with physicians — between $124,308 and $182,324, according to a press release from the American Optometric Association.
The pay increase was part of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, signed into law last year by former President Joe Biden.
“Achieving this parity is not just a victory for VA optometrists ... it is a meaningful advancement for the entire profession,” Lindsay Wright, OD, executive director of the Association of Armed Forces

Clinical trials continue to be a driving force in ophthalmology, propelling the development of innovative treatments and technologies that improve patient outcomes.
As the field evolves, the need for more practices to participate in research becomes greater. A search of “eye diseases” in the ClinicalTrials.gov database currently lists more than 14,700 trials total. The global ophthalmology market size was $77.1 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to reach around $144.04 billion by 2034. The North America ophthalmology market size accounted for $34.82 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to grow

Researchers developed a machine learning model that could identify children in the ED who were at risk for developing sepsis based on routinely collected electronic health record data.
“Sepsis is very important to detect because we do have evidence-based therapies that we know if we initiate them early can improve the morbidity and mortality associated with sepsis, but we also know that it is very rare,” Elizabeth R. Alpern, MD, MSCE, division head of emergency medicine, vice chair of pediatrics and professor of pediatric emergency medicine at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and

Clinical trials continue to be a driving force in ophthalmology, propelling the development of innovative treatments and technologies that improve patient outcomes.
As the field evolves, the need for more practices to participate in research becomes greater. A search of “eye diseases” in the ClinicalTrials.gov database currently lists more than 14,700 trials total. The global ophthalmology market size was $77.1 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to reach around $144.04 billion by 2034. The North America ophthalmology market size accounted for $34.82 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to grow

Researchers developed a machine learning model that could identify children in the ED who were at risk for developing sepsis based on routinely collected electronic health record data.
“Sepsis is very important to detect because we do have evidence-based therapies that we know if we initiate them early can improve the morbidity and mortality associated with sepsis, but we also know that it is very rare,” Elizabeth R. Alpern, MD, MSCE, division head of emergency medicine, vice chair of pediatrics and professor of pediatric emergency medicine at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and

People with hypertension who meet guideline-directed levels of weekly physical activity in just 1 or 2 days may derive similar mortality benefit vs. those who are consistently active, researchers reported.
The 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, recommended 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week for people with chronic conditions such as hypertension.
For the present study, researchers used data from the UK Biobank to determine whether different patterns of physical activity would

People with hypertension who meet guideline-directed levels of weekly physical activity in just 1 or 2 days may derive similar mortality benefit vs. those who are consistently active, researchers reported.
The 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, recommended 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week for people with chronic conditions such as hypertension.
For the present study, researchers used data from the UK Biobank to determine whether different patterns of physical activity would

Presurgical thyroid-stimulating hormone level among children and adolescents who are undergoing a hemithyroidectomy may identify those at risk for persistent hypothyroidism or needing levothyroxine therapy, researchers reported.
In a retrospective study of children and adolescents who underwent a hemithyroidectomy at Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham & Women’s Hospital from January 1998 to May 2023, researchers found those with a TSH of 2 mIU/L or greater before surgery were more likely to experience postsurgical persistent hypothyroidism or receive levothyroxine therapy than those

Weekly consumption-based metrics may be feasible for measuring safe use thresholds and cannabis use disorder at different severities for adolescent and adults, according to data published in Addiction.
“Currently, there is a lack of evidence-based guidance for people who use cannabis to reduce their risk of harms,” Rachel Lees Thorne, PhD, from the addiction and mental health group, department of psychology at the University of Bath in the U.K., told Healio. “Our research proposes ‘safer use’ thresholds that may help people reduce their risk of cannabis use disorder.”
Prior research estimates

CMS issued its final rule for the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System base rate for dialysis facilities to $281.71 beginning Jan. 1, 2026, according to an agency press release.
The final rate increased $7.89 from the calendar year 2025 base rate of $273.82. The rate will apply to all ESRD facilities, with hospital-based facilities and freestanding facilities projected to increase by 1.5% and 2.2%, respectively, according to the release.
Similarly, the AKI dialysis payment rate has been finalized at $281.71, matching the ESRD Prospective Payment System rate and reflecting