48% of U.S. adults overestimate the benefits of aspirin; connection between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia tripled post-legalization; $17 million Medicare hospice fraud – Morning Medical Update

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48% of U.S. adults overestimate daily aspirin benefits

A new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania found that 48% of U.S. adults mistakenly believe that the benefits of taking a daily low-dose aspirin outweigh its risks, despite updated guidelines that advise against routine use for healthy older adults. The study revealed that, among those with no personal or family history of heart attack or stroke, nearly one in five routinely take aspirin, and awareness of the risks is the highest among younger adults — 29% of those aged 18 to 39 correctly indicated that the risks outweigh the benefits, compared with just 7% of adults aged 60 or older.

Connection between cannabis use disorder and new cases of schizophrenia have tripled post-legalization

A study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at the institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and partner institutions found that the proportion of new schizophrenia cases linked to cannabis use disorder in Ontario, Canada, has nearly tripled since cannabis was legalized, rising from 4% pre-legalization to 10% afterward.

The analysis, which examined health care data for more than 13.5 million residents, revealed that hospital care for cannabis use disorder increased by 270% and that 9% of those with cannabis use disorder developed schizophrenia, compared to 0.6% of individuals without it.

California man pleads guilty in $17M Medicare hospice fraud scheme

A California man pleaded guilty Monday to health care fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering for his role in a scheme that defrauded Medicare of more than $17 million, authorities said. Petros Fichidzhyan, 43, of Granada Hills, operated sham hospice companies and a home health care agency by submitting false claims for services that were never provided. Court documents revealed that Fichidzhyan and co-conspirators impersonated foreign nationals and misused doctors’ identifying information to certify unnecessary hospice care. Medicare paid nearly $16 million to the sham operations, with Fichidzhyan personally receiving close to $7 million. He is scheduled for sentencing on April 14 and faces multiple prison terms if convicted on all counts.