MORNING REPORT…the warmup:

ONE JOKE: 

Never upset a pediatrician.  

They have very little patients. 👩‍⚕️ 👶

ONE FACT: 

Coffee drinkers walk an average of 1,000 more steps per day than non-coffee drinkers (NEJM). ☕

ONE QUOTE:

"Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

– Viktor Frankl, Man's Search For Meaning ​

ONE GUESS…NAME THAT DISEASE: 

• Signs and Symptoms: Itching, burning, redness, and peeling of the skin, especially between the toes.

DISEASE ANSWER: Click here to find out!

HEALTHCARE HEADLINES…flex your knowledge at work:

• Children with genetic deafness have hearing restored with gene therapy: Study (ABC News).  “This deafness is caused by mutations of the OTOF gene…which is necessary for the transmission of sound signals from the ear to the brain, according to the researchers.  The trial…involved the use of an inactive virus carrying a functioning version of the OTOF gene.” 👂

• People who mostly sit at work have higher risk of mortality, study finds (CNN).  “People who predominantly sit at work have a 16% higher risk of mortality from all causes, and a 34% higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease. To counteract the increased risk, individuals who sit a lot at work would have to engage in an additional 15 to 30 minutes of physical activity per day to reduce their risk to that of individuals who do not predominantly sit, researchers estimated.” 🪑

• CMS Finalizes Rule Streamlining Prior Authorization Process (MedCity News)  “Starting primarily in 2026, affected payers will have to send prior authorization decisions within 72 hours for urgent requests and seven days for non-urgent requests.  Payers will also have to specifically state why they denied a prior authorization request.  CMS said the rule will improve the prior authorization process and save about $15 billion over 10 years.” 🙌

RECOMMENDATION STATION:

• Ramit Sethi is the author of the New York Times bestseller “I Will Teach You To Be Rich”.  His daily newsletter, The Rich Life, focuses on personal finance, business, careers, and personal habits and psychology.  Since 2004, he has helped tens of millions of people live their Rich Lives and has been featured on his own Netflix special.  Sign up now! It’s free! 💰️ 

MIND AND BODY…one brain exercise and one wellness tip:

• Brain Teaser:  What word in the English language does the following: the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word? (Answer at bottom of this section) 🤔

• Fitness Tweet:

Brain Teaser Answer: Heroine

POTPOURRI…fun facts and conversation starters:

• Masters of the Air: Hanks and Spielberg’s spectacular war story is the first must-watch show of 2024 (The Guardian).  The show debuted on Apple TV last week and is being compared to the HBO World War II epic Band of Brothers. Check out the trailer here.  🪖

• Some Like it Hot: Instacart Reveals Spicy New Insights for National Hot Sauce Day (Instacart).  Guess which sauces made the Top 10.  Hint: not Sriracha, which was in shortage. 🍳

• A New Tallest Building in America Has Been Proposed — and It Isn’t in New York or Chicago (People).  Check out the design and location of the monster sky scraper. 🏗️