Medical Economics (12/10, Littrell) reports that a study “takes a close look at a simple but increasingly popular idea in physician practices: setting aside protected time during the workday for electronic health record (EHR) tasks.” In the study, “one ambulatory network reserved a dedicated appointment slot each half day for activities such as patient messaging, prescription refills and prior authorizations. Researchers tracked what happened to productivity, after-hours work and message volume over nearly three years.” Study “results suggest that small scheduling changes can have an outsized impact on physician workload. After-hours and weekend EHR time dropped quickly after protected time was introduced, while productivity took only a modest short-term dip and then stabilized.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Protected EHR time cuts after-hours work with little productivity loss, study finds,”Austin Littrell, Medical Economics, December 10, 2025

Healio (12/10, Herpen) reports, “Individuals with epilepsy and depression had a higher psychiatric comorbidity burden linked to shorter duration of initial therapy and a higher risk of treatment failure, data show.” According to the “results, patients with depression remained on [first-line epilepsy therapy] for a shorter time (median 145 days) than those who did not have depression (median 173 days), although durations across subsequent [lines of therapy] were similar between cohorts, featuring modest declines over time.” The findings were presented at the American Epilepsy Society annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Depression in epilepsy linked to higher comorbidity burden, risk of treatment failure,”Robert Herpen, MA , Healio, December 10, 2025

Gastroenterology Advisor (12/9, Nye) reports, “Patients with Crohn disease (CD) experiencing post-traumatic stress (PTS) are more likely to have undergone multiple operations and to have experienced surgical complications, according to study findings.” The researchers said, “Surgery has posed both physical challenges and psychological stress for patients. Therefore, conducting thorough assessments and providing comprehensive care after surgery is crucial in reducing patients’ psychological maladjustment.” The findingswere published in Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology.

Related Links:

— “Multiple Surgeries and Complications Predict Post-Traumatic Stress in CD,”Jessica Nye, PhD, Gastroenterology Advisor, December 9, 2025

USA Today (12/9, Mitchell, Hale) reports, “Starting Dec. 10, Australia is the first country to ban social media for kids under 16.” It is “up to social media companies…to ensure children under 16 aren’t using their platforms, and companies who fail to block kids [from] their sites will face substantial fines.” Under the ban, “there are no penalties for kids who gain access to these platforms, or their parents or caregivers.” Although “the ban is controversial in some circles, many parents and mental health advocates are celebrating – and wondering if something similar could ever be enforced in the United States.” However, “Whitney Raglin Bignall, pediatric psychologist and associate clinical director at The Kids Mental Health Foundation, said she hasn’t seen movement toward a nationwide social media ban in the United States.”

Related Links:

— “Australia is first nation to ban social media for kids. Is the US next?,”Madeline Mitchell & Rachel Hale, USA TODAY, December 9, 2025

HealthDay (12/8, Gotkine) reports a study found that “for sexual minority youth, identity disclosure is associated with an increased risk for suicide intention, plan, and attempt.” Study results indicate that “identity disclosure to a family member was associated with a within-person increased risk for suicide intention, plan, and attempt (8, 10, and 6 percentage points, respectively). Increased risks for suicide intention, plan, and attempt were also seen in association with identity disclosure to a friend (10, 12, and 6 percentage points, respectively).” According to researchers, “these increases in suicide risk occurred around the timing of identity disclosure; in subsequent years, they increased in magnitude.” The study was published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “‘Coming Out’ Linked to Increased Suicide Risk in Sexual Minority Youth,”Elana Gotkine , HealthDay, December 8, 2025

The New York Times (12/8, Barry) reports, “A study of nearly 200,000 California schoolchildren found that their mental health had improved significantly after schools reopened for in-person learning in 2021, evidence that its authors said shows that the risks of prolonged shutdowns were greater than policymakers understood at the time.” Researchers found that “nine months after schools reopened, the probability that a child would be seen by a [healthcare professional] for a mental health condition was reduced by 43 percent.” Additionally, “spending on mental health medications decreased by 7.5 percent, and spending on other treatments, like therapy, decreased by 10.6 percent.” The improvements were said to be more striking among girls. The study was published in Epidemiology

The Washington Post (12/8, Malhi) adds that return to in-person schooling during the pandemic was “associated with significant declines in diagnoses of anxiety, depression and other conditions.”

The American Journal of Managed Care (12/8, Shaw) also provides coverage.

Related Links:

— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

The Hill (12/5, Cochran) reported that a federal appeals court on Thursday halted an effort by the Administration “to block grants to hire more school mental health workers. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration’s appeal of a district court decision to restore grants given by the Biden administration to hire more counselors and social workers, particularly in low-income and rural schools.” The appeals court ruled the Administration “has not shown a strong likelihood of success and noted the district court is likely to reach a final decision soon.”

Related Links:

— “Court blocks Trump administration effort to halt school mental health worker grants,”Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, December 5, 2025

Modern Healthcare (12/5, Early, Subscription Publication) reported that states are “taking matters into their own hands as health insurance exchange customers confront huge rate hikes and shrinking federal aid.” So far, proposed initiatives “include state-funded premium ‘wraparound’ subsidies, reinsurance programs, new benefit designs and intensified consumer outreach. These states are striving to reduce the coverage losses and risk pool deterioration expected because of skyrocketing premiums. The open enrollment period began Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 15 in most states.”

Related Links:

— “States get creative as exchange subsidies expiration looms,”Bridget Early, Modern Healthcare, December 5, 2025

Psychiatric News (12/5) reported a study suggests that “compared with people who don’t play video games, individuals who engage in recreational gaming showed enhanced attention-related performance in cognitive tests, while those at risk of gaming disorders had reduced working memory.” Researchers observed that “compared with non-gamers, those at risk of gaming disorders performed worse on two tasks (Digit Span and Counting Span) designed to assess working memory capacity.” Furthermore, participants “in the gaming disorder risk group also had a higher number of incorrect responses compared with the recreational gamer group in the 1-back task, which assesses the ability to adapt to new information – suggesting more impulsive response tendencies.” However, gamers “showed enhanced response readiness and attentional control compared with non-gamers, as evidenced by their higher accuracy in the Go/No-Go task, which assesses inhibitory control.” The study was published in Computers in Human Behavior.

Related Links:

— “Gaming Disorders Linked to Cognitive Impairment—but Recreational Gaming May Offer Benefit, Psychiatric News, December 5, 2025

Forbes (12/4, Japsen) reports that a new KFF survey found that “one in four” Affordable Care Act “enrollees will ‘very likely go without’ coverage next year if tax credits aren’t extended and premiums doubled for those who buy individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act.” KFF said in its 21-page analysis of the survey results, “When asked what they would do if the amount they pay for health insurance each month doubled, one in three enrollees (32%) say they are very likely to shop for a lower-premium plan (with higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs) and one in four (25%) say they would be very likely to go uninsured.” If the survey results are accurate, “the nation’s uninsured would rise by more than 5 million.”

Related Links:

— “1 In 4 Obamacare Enrollees May Drop Coverage If Tax Credits Go Away, Poll Says,”Bruce Japsen, Forbes, December 4, 2025