Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 6 April 2026
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Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine . The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.
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1. ER screening tool accurately predicts firearm violence risk among young adults
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-03950
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
A study of young adults treated in emergency departments found that the SaFETy (Serious fighting, Friend weapon carrying, community Environment, and firearm Threats) score, a firearm-specific risk screening tool, can meaningfully predict the risk of interpersonal firearm violence within 12 months. The findings support the value of the SaFETy score for screening young adults for firearm risk who present to emergency departments and suggest it has potential for assessing risk in other settings. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine .
Researchers from the University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Washington aimed to externally validate the SaFETy score by evaluating its performance in predicting firearm violence (shooting someone else or being shot) in the 12 months after baseline among general young adults presenting to an emergency department. They studied over 1,500 patients aged 18 to 24 who were seen in level 1 trauma centers for any reason in Seattle, Washington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Flint, Michigan between August 2021 and May 2023. They collected 12 months of follow-up data bby patient self‑reported information and medical records. Participants’ baseline SaFETy scores were compared with the 12-month experienced firearm violence. The authors found that SaFETy score categories of 0, 1 to 5, and 6 or higher showed a dose-response relationship with firearm violence within 12 months. The SaFETy score improved risk prediction even when added to models with demographic, behavioral, and clinical covariates.
The authors conclude that the SaFETy score provides distinct and useful predictive information that could help identify risk for firearm violence in general ED populations. However, they say that the tool should also be evaluated in other settings such as nonurban emergency departments, schools, community health centers, and other high-contact points for at-risk youth.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact corresponding author Jason E. Goldstick, PhD please email jasoneg@umich.edu.
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2. Uptake of new Medicare G2211 code slower than projected by CMS
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-05105
A retrospective study of outpatient visits found that use of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) G2211 add-on code has grown steadily since inception in 2024 but remains well below federal expectations. By mid‑2025, the code appeared on about 27% of outpatient Medicare evaluation and management visits, short of early projections that more than one‑third of such encounters would qualify. The findings suggest that CMS should consider budget and reimbursement implications related to G2211 that are sustainable and adequate for services provided. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine .
The G2211 code was implemented to better account for the previously uncompensated costs of longitudinal, nonprocedural care for complex or chronic conditions provided by primary care and other specialties. Researchers from University of Maryland, Robert Graham Center for Primary Care Policy Studies, and University of California San Francisco used the Epic Cosmos database to review more than 377 million outpatient visits from January 2024 to September 2025 to understand how often clinicians used the new G2211 code across different specialties and insurance types. They measured the percentage of routine evaluation and management visits that included G2211 each month. They found that Medicare use grew gradually, from 5% of visits in early 2024 to about 27% by mid‑2025, while commercial insurers showed lower adoption. Specialties such as endocrinology and internal medicine used the code most often, while dermatology used it least.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact corresponding author Nate C. Apathy, PhD please email nca@umd.edu.
3. Student loan caps in the One Big Beautiful Bill could price out thousands of qualified medical students
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-05391
In a commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine , former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH and Nicole C. McCann, BA, discuss the consequences of student loan caps included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The authors conducted an analysis that estimated 47% and 33% of medical graduates in 2025 have debt that exceeded the $200,000 limit for medical school and $257,000 limit for education, respectively. They warn that these loan caps would have significant effects on medical school attendance, as they estimate one-third to one-half of current medical students could be priced out or required to take on riskier private loans. By pricing out many qualified medical students, these caps could further exacerbate the physician shortage, reduce diversity within medicine, and deepen geographic disparities in physician practice. The authors say that the effects of the OBBB loan caps should be closely monitored and evaluated to guide future strategies to mitigate their unintended consequences and inform future medical school tuition reforms.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact corresponding author Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH please email Rochelle.Walensky.MD@gmail.com.
Annals of Internal Medicine
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Multisite External Validation of a Clinical Screening Tool for Interpersonal Firearm Violence Risk
7-Apr-2026