MDLinx

Autoimmune encephalitis has moved past the diagnostic era — antibody testing is no longer the bottleneck. New data presented at AAN Autoimmune Neurology 2026 show cumulative relapse burden independently predicts poor long-term functional and cognitive outcomes in LGI1-AE (OR 2.94), while rituximab significantly reduces relapse risk (HR 0.19). Meanwhile, the COAST study documents wide practice variation in second-line NMDAR-AE therapy — rituximab (60.3%), cyclophosphamide (13.5%), tocilizumab (4.0%) — with no consensus on regimen or duration. A new patient-reported outcome measure, LANTERN, may finally capture what conventional scales miss: the executive dysfunction and psychiatric burden that persist even when clinician-rated outcomes look “good.” Full clinical breakdown of the AANAI 2026 encephalitis data: https://lnkd.in/ejqb3yQv #AutoimmuneNeurology #AANAI2026 #Neurology #Encephalitis #MedEd

Retatrutide isn't FDA-approved. That hasn't stopped patients from asking about it. The early numbers explain why: 30% average weight loss at 104 weeks in obesity trials, 21–23% at the highest dose in type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular trials, driven by a triple agonist mechanism (GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon) that goes a step further than semaglutide or tirzepatide. Lilly is now reviewing individual provider requests, case by case, for patients who meet specific criteria and can't get into a trial. That's not the same as routine prescribing, and it doesn't tell us anything new about long-term safety. Two things worth having ready before your next consult: ✅The cardiovascular safety data isn't mature yet. Any patient on expanded access is, by definition, still inside the evidence gap on long-term outcomes. ✅Counterfeit retatrutide is already circulating online, unverified for sterility, potency, or dosing, and demand for it is only going to outpace legitimate access from here. How are you approaching expanded-access eligibility for patients who ask? MDLinx has the full breakdown, including where obesity medicine specialists are actually landing on this: https://lnkd.in/evxjYJp5 #Endocrinology #ObesityMedicine #GLP1 #Retatrutide

Some health trends come and go. Others can make health feel more tangible, encourage better conversations, and help patients take a more active role in their care. I shared my perspective with MDLinx on the trends that may be worth paying attention to. “Devices that track activity, heart rate, and sleep have made health feel more tangible to people. Even if the data is not always perfectly precise, it has opened the door to conversations that we were not having as often before. Patients come in with questions, with data, and with a desire to improve, and that level of engagement is something I did not fully anticipate earlier in my career,” says Rigved Tadwalkar, MD, MS, FACC, FACP. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gwJSv4_z #healthspan #wearablehealth #longevity #healthtrends

21% → 6%. That's the no-show rate before and after a single standardized transitional care call, post-discharge. 52% of patients completed the call. Among those who did, the no-show rate was 6%. Among those who didn't, it was 21%. No new staff, no new technology, just a defined call script that made standard practice. Sometimes the highest-leverage fix is also the cheapest one, and Association of Clinicians for the Underserved had the numbers to back it up this year: https://lnkd.in/eBKX63gn #ACU2026 #CareDelivery #SafetyNetCare

98% of scribes matriculated. Five years, one pipeline. A multi-site rural FQHC ran a structured Scribe-to-Provider program and tracked participants for five years. More than 98% went on to medical, PA, nursing, or public health programs. 10% are already working as licensed providers, and another 25% start residency this July 2026. Here's what matters clinically. The program shortened vacancies and improved clinic flow at minimal added cost. At a site that can't outbid anyone on external recruitment, a filled schedule is continuity of care. Fewer coverage gaps, steadier chronic disease management, and a patient-provider relationship that actually holds, which is what safety-net outcomes depend on. That's the real test for a pipeline model, and it's one of several workforce approaches ACU 2026 put hard numbers behind this year. Worth a look if you're rethinking how you build and keep staff. What's your read? Is grow-your-own finally the default, or still the exception? https://lnkd.in/eBKX63gn Association of Clinicians for the Underserved #ACU2026 #WorkforceDevelopment #FQHC

Pharma brands work hard to reach physicians. But what's even harder is to earn their attention. MDLinx just became a 2026 MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media Award finalist in Digital HCP Solutions for Second Opinion, a product that represents how physician engagement has evolved. Doctors are fielding more and more patient questions about wellness trends, longevity hacks, and health content they've seen online. Second Opinion engages in the moment where cultural health noise and clinical needs meet, turning misaligned expectations into clinically grounded dialogue that sharpens both communication and care. It's not a banner. It's not a content hub. It's a tool physicians use daily. Proud of the team that built it, and the physician community whose voice is at the center of it. ➡️ See it for yourself: https://lnkd.in/eYS9dV5f https://lnkd.in/e3XcGWEz #MMMAwards #DigitalHCPSolutions #HealthcareMarketing #MDLinx

A Connecticut jury awarded $7.7M to the family of Dr. Jacqueline Satchell, who died after post-surgical complications went unaddressed for days. For our Malpractice Monitor series, we brought the case to Frank Agullo, MD, FACS.   Every surgeon has been on one side or the other of a case where the early signs were there and got missed. Dr. Agullo's take on why that happens, and what actually catches it in time, is worth the two minutes.   Thank you for contributing your clinical judgment to this series, Frank Agullo. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/ePjRtmKb #MalpracticeMonitor #Surgery #PatientSafety #Sepsis #MedicalMalpractice Southwest Plastic Surgery

Early Alzheimer's detection has quietly solved its technical problems — AAIC 2026 data show the bottleneck moved elsewhere. What's validated: ✔️ Plasma p-tau217: AUC=0.901, stable 0–15 years pre-death, even in cognitively intact adults (AUC=0.852) ✔️ EHR-based ML model predicted AD diagnosis a year out (AUROC=0.853) using existing chart data ✔️ Smartphone cognitive composites differentiated MCI from unimpaired adults (OR=0.262, p=0.029) What's still broken: 82% of primary care visits with a documented cognitive concern (n=35,649) leave without an MCI/AD diagnosis recorded. MoCA and BoCA still don't reliably catch subjective cognitive decline, even though biomarker-positive SCD patients decline significantly faster. The tools have arrived. Staging hasn't caught up. Full AAIC 2026 synthesis on MDLinx: https://lnkd.in/e77r7nnc Alzheimer's Association® #AAIC2026 #Alzheimers #EarlyDetection #MCI #Neurology

Great share from Dr. Michael Kane, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Indiana Center for Recovery on what Lionel Messi's brain has in common with addiction and injury recovery. Dr. Kane draws a direct line between how elite athletes' brains process split-second decisions and how the brain relearns after injury and addiction recovery, including a breakdown of the CDC's 6-Step Return to Play Progression. Thank you, Dr. Kane, for sharing your expertise. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/ejnRZ9Dp #Neurology #SportsMedicine #Neuroplasticity #ConcussionCare #RecoveryMedicine #MDlinx

Escalate today to prevent an event that may never happen, or reserve treatment for the patients who ultimately need it? That's the first-line HER2+ MBC question Calea Bastnagel, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, takes on for MDLinx. Roughly one-third of these patients develop brain metastases. Tucatinib clearly improves outcomes once CNS disease is present, but proactive use to prevent it has never been shown in a prospective trial. HER2CLIMB-05 moves the conversation forward without resolving it: it measured progression-free survival, not CNS prevention, so it can't tell us whether the benefit reflects fewer new brain metastases or better disease control overall. Her position is disciplined about that gap: incorporate CNS-active therapy based on trial evidence, not mechanism or theoretical benefit. This is the kind of evidence-first analysis MDLinx exists to put in front of clinicians facing the decision right now. How are you approaching CNS-active therapy in first-line? Full analysis in the comments. #BreastCancer #HER2 #MedicalOncology #OncologyPharmacy #MDLinx