Health Secretary Kennedy May Dismiss US Preventive Services Task Force
TL/DR –
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may soon dismiss the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an advisory panel of primary care experts. This has sparked concerns from the American Medical Association and other top medical groups. Last month, Kennedy dismissed the members of a different advisory committee on vaccines for the CDC and replaced them with his own picks, who largely lacked the expertise in vaccines, immunology, and patient care the members typically have.
Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. Plans to Dismiss Key Medical Advisory Panel
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an essential advisory panel of primary care experts, may soon be dismissed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This potential decision has drawn deep concern from leading medical groups, including the American Medical Association. The plan was initially reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Last month, Kennedy replaced the members of a different advisory committee, one on vaccines for the CDC, with his own selections who have noticeably less expertise in vaccines and patient care.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, convened by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and overseen by Kennedy, is an independent group of experts focusing on primary care.
The USPSTF has been making recommendations for disease prevention since 1984. Its guidelines are widely used by primary care clinicians for procedures like mammograms for breast cancer screening, managing high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and more.
“Probably every patient I see, I’m using about five to 20 of their guidelines to make sure that I’m keeping that person healthy,” says Dr. Alexander Krist, a family physician at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a former chair of the task force.
However, firing all the current USPSTF members could result in doctors losing trust in the guidelines. “Clinicians are going to be left struggling to understand what they should be doing and who they should be listening to in terms of preventive care for America,” says Krist.
Since the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the USPSTF guidelines have also been tied to what most insurers cover. Over 100 health organizations have sent a letter to Congress in response to Kennedy canceling a previously scheduled meeting of the USPSTF. The letter urged Congress to protect “the integrity of the USPSTF from intentional or unintentional political interference.”
The signatories warned: “The loss of trustworthiness in the rigorous and nonpartisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems, and payers.”
—
Read More Health & Wellness News ; US News