AJMC Staff

What we’re reading, December 12, 2016: veterans with dementia who used both the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system and Medicare were more likely to be prescribed potentially unsafe medications; HHS will begin to conduct on-site privacy compliance audits in 2017; study finds that women with strong social connections have better breast cancer outcomes.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research in the healthcare and mainstream press.

What we’re reading, December 9, 2016: insurers haven’t taken advantage of 2011 Georgia law allowing interstate policy sales; 6 former executives of Insys Therapeutics arrested for fraudulently boosting sales of their fentanyl drug; with a month left in the year, 2016 has already seen decade-high mumps outbreaks.

What we’re reading, December 8, 2016: Senate overwhelmingly passes the 21st Century Cures Act, sending it to President Obama for approval; Surgeon General issues a report calling for action to reduce e-cigarette use by young people; soaring costs of naloxone may hinder efforts to prevent opioid overdoses.

What we're reading, December 7, 2016: health insurers provide demands if Republicans repeal Obamacare; women face 20% higher healthcare costs in retirement; and immunotherapies are being considered for sepsis.

What we're reading, December 6, 2016: Members of the GOP are unhappy with the leadership's plans for a 3-year repeal and replace of Obamacare; California bill would require superbugs be listed on death certificates; and Novo Nordisk promises to limit drug price hikes.

What we're reading, December 5, 2016: insurers may be turning a corner with Obamacare plans; selling insurance across state lines may be a difficult initiative to implement; and older Americans are not diligent about getting vaccinations.

NICE recommends pembrolizumab for use in advanced lung cancer following additional data review and a further discount in price.

What we’re reading, December 2, 2016: Johnson & Johnson must pay $1 billion to patients injured by Pinnacle hip implants; 3 organizations join forces on initiative to prevent suicides in physicians and medical trainees; the American Hospital Association has sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump with a list of requests for his administration.

A review of our peer-reviewed research in the healthcare and mainstream press.

What we’re reading, December 1, 2016: the percentage of Republicans that would like to see the Affordable Care Act scaled back instead of repealed has more than doubled since the election; smoking will soon be prohibited in all public housing nationwide; some physicians are incensed by the American Medical Association’s support for Rep. Tom Price as HHS secretary.

What we’re reading, November 30, 2016: the FDA agrees to clinical trials of Ecstasy to treat posttraumatic stress disorder; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center workers strike to protest wages and union rights; a New York pharmacy owner will spend 4 years in jail for distributing 500,000 oxycodone pills without prescriptions.

What we're reading, November 29, 2016: Warren cries foul over pharma's role in legislation; women fear what will happen to coverage under Trump; and Gallup poll finds most Americans want changes or repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

The Georgia Congressman is a longtime critic of the Affordable Care Act.

What we're reading, November 28, 2016: The GOP is considering reforms to Medicare and Democrats are gearing up for a fight; the IRS will send letters to try to sign more people up for Obamacare; and the abortion rate reaches the lowest level in decades.

Trial data on the use of plinabulin for mitigating chemotherapy-induced neutropenia with docetaxel will be presented as a poster at the American Society of Hematology’s annual meeting in San Diego.

A study published in the Annals of Oncology has analyzed data on young patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) to evaluate risk factors for febrile neutropenia and infection-related complications.

Within 4 months of the last reported incident, Juno Therapeutics has again halted the phase 2 “Rocket” trial of JCAR015 in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

What we're reading, November 23, 2016: Alaska has a novel plan to hold down insurance premiums; MedPAC's executive director discusses continuation of value efforts; and new findings regarding microcephaly in Zika-infected babies.

What we're reading, November 22, 2016: Virginia declares opioid addiction a public health emergency; House calls for a pause of ongoing Obamacare lawsuit; and Anthem-Cigna antitrust trial begins.

What we’re reading, November 21, 2016: 1 in 4 US children do not have access to essential healthcare, even though many are insured; the American Medical Association has released guidelines for the safe use of mobile health devices and applications; the FDA will delay finalization of its policy on the regulation of laboratory-developed tests.

Sanofi Pasteur has announced that it has decided to discontinue production of the BCG vaccine, which is indicated for the treatment and prophylaxis of carcinoma in situ of the urinary bladder.

A review of our peer-reviewed research in the healthcare and mainstream press.

What we’re reading, November 18, 2016: a study links higher death rates and negative outcomes to replacing registered nurses with nursing assistants; a pilot test begins in Africa for the first malaria vaccine; and an emergency physicians' group releases a video parodying Cigna’s “TV Doctors” ad.

What we're reading, November 17, 2016: more Medicare doctors are considered high-dollar prescribers; the surgeon general releases a report tackling substance abuse and misuse; and the teen birth rate hasn't dropped as much in rural counties.

What we're reading, November 16, 2016: Donald Trump seems to be backing away from his hard stance on controlling drug prices; DC lawmakers pass assisted suicide law; and doctors often do not consider cost a top issue when deciding on treatments.

What we’re reading, November 15, 2016: retail health clinics are not associated with decreased emergency department visits; House Speaker Paul Ryan will push for Medicare reform along with repeal of the Affordable Care Act; screening of donated blood finds just a fraction of units are contaminated with the Zika virus.

What we’re reading, November 14, 2016: President-elect Donald Trump may keep 2 popular components of the Affordable Care Act; the Department of Veterans Affairs will introduce an online appointment scheduling app; Pfizer drops price of pneumococcal vaccine for humanitarian groups.

A review of our peer-reviewed research in the healthcare and mainstream press.

What we're reading, November 11, 2016: Medicare premium increases lower than expected for high earners; HHS' Office of Inspector General will increase pharmaceutical oversight; and a study on the safety of mail-order abortion pills.