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Physician in the Loop

Daily briefingNov 4, 2026

Asthma guideline ranks steroid rescue inhalers above albuterol alone

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.101 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.245 law entries in 47 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

The Friday letter and the daily email

Both are free, by email.

Physician in the Loop

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
Illustration: an ornate open box on a pedestal under a spotlight in a room.
Special topic

Prescribed at checkout

A weight-loss prescription can now take a questionnaire and a card number. Patients deserve a clinician who knows them and a drug the FDA has checked.

Nov. 3
Illustration: an open cardboard shipping box containing crumpled packing paper and a single amber glass medicine vial.
Daily briefing

Child's measles death is New York's first in more than 30 years

Nov. 3
Illustration: a vaccine vial with a navy cap and a pale label sits on a wooden desk next to papers.
Special topic

Twenty-one days

The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has passed 10,000 confirmed cases and reached Kenya and Nigeria. There is no approved vaccine or treatment, and American rules turn on a 21-day window.

Nov. 2
Illustration: a wall calendar page with fifteen day squares arranged in three rows, and one square highlighted in red.

The Friday letter

All letters
Oct 24 to 29, 2026

Out of the loop

Medicine's answer to every worry about AI is a human who checks the machine's work. Almost nobody checks how well the humans do, and somebody should.

Daily briefing

Flu admissions jump 27% in a week to the highest late-October rate since 2010

Nov. 2
Illustration: an ornate dark tissue box on a wooden table with four tissues coming out, the last one glowing yellow.
Special topic

Three months, or a chatbot now

More Americans said they would use a therapist three months away than a chatbot available immediately. The wait is the thing to fix, and the handoff to a person is the thing to require.

Nov. 1
Illustration: a row of waiting room chairs, a clock, a wooden door, and a phone with a speech bubble.

Dates ahead

All dates
  • Nov. 5ThuMedPAC public meeting (November 5 to 6)
  • Nov. 6FriAMA Interim Meeting, Orlando (November 6 to 10)
  • Nov. 14SatComments due on Palmetto and Noridian proposals to stop covering AI brain MRI quantification
Daily briefing

Affordable Care Act premiums rise another 13% as sign-ups open

Nov. 1
Daily briefing

AI chatbots recommend care costing 3 times what physicians order

Oct. 31
Special topic

Wait until you need insulin

A randomized trial found a glucose sensor lowered blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes who take no insulin. Medicare's rule still turns mainly on the insulin rather than the evidence.

Oct. 30
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