Christina Mattina

The American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals sent a joint letter to President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence highlighting the potentially devastating effects a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could have on community hospitals.

A recently released report investigates the potential ramifications of partially repealing the Affordable Care Act through the process of budget reconciliation. The study by the Urban Institute Health Policy Center warned that such a move by Congress would double the number of uninsured Americans and significantly disrupt the insurance market, resulting in reduced access to care.

Researchers evaluated 137 mobile health apps designed to help patients manage their health and found inconsistencies in the apps’ functionalities, privacy policies, and reactions to indications of health danger.

An analysis of per capita Medicare spending among beneficiaries with 6 or more chronic conditions reveals wide geographic variations in costs across the US, with similar spending levels often seen in counties neighboring one another.

An analysis of 150 US cities’ stress rankings and the CMS star ratings of the hospitals within them reveals a significant correlation between the 2 factors, indicating that more-stressed cities tend to have lower hospital star ratings.

The House of Representatives has approved the bipartisan 21st Century Cures legislation, which includes funding for innovative biomedical research and provisions to speed up the drug approval process.

The amount of Americans under age 65 in families having trouble paying medical bills has dropped significantly over the past 5 years, according to a survey report from the National Center for Health Statistics. The percentage of children in families that struggle to pay healthcare bills has steadily declined as well, though as of June 2016 it remained higher than the percentage of such adults.

Patients who received care for their chronic diseases in a patient-centered medical home had higher rates of medication adherence over 12 months than patients treated elsewhere, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

In a report published in Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics discussed several barriers to care for young children with mental health problems. The authors suggested that prompt access to treatment and more complete training for pediatricians could help remove some of these barriers.

Emergency departments are a common destination for people with serious mental illness, even though these urgent care settings are costly and overburdened. Some healthcare systems are implementing transitional care clinics to help keep these mentally ill patients out of the ED.

The 5th annual Patient-Centered Oncology Care® (PCOC) meeting, hosted by The American Journal of Managed Care, November 17-18, in Baltimore, Maryland, concluded with a panel discussion on the future of oncology care in 2017. The panelists concurred that value-based payment is here to stay despite the imminent changes in healthcare.

A study of older Americans has found that the prevalence of dementia has decreased significantly, from 11.6% in 2000 to 8.8% in 2012. It cited increased average educational attainment and improved diabetes treatments as factors that could explain the drop in dementia rates.

A survey examining nonfinancial barriers to cervical cancer screening indicated that women who were rarely or never screened were more likely to report having 1 or more chronic conditions. The study suggests that physicians include preventive services along with treatment for chronic conditions.

Federal prosecutors announced in a press conference that Gary Tanner, a former executive at Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and Andrew Davenport, former chief executive officer of Philidor Rx Services, had been charged with taking part in a multimillion-dollar fraud and kickback scheme.

At the Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Washington, DC, several experts presented their progress in harnessing technology to help teenagers and young adults manage their juvenile arthritis.

The FDA conducted a public hearing November 9-10 to discuss whether pharmaceutical companies should be allowed to promote drugs for unapproved uses. The FDA also announced that it would fund studies to investigate the responsible promotion of drugs on online platforms.

President-elect Donald Trump has ignited uncertainty about the future of healthcare in America, as he has pledged to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act when he enters the White House. In the meantime, bipartisan lawmakers hope to continue funding for the Precision Medicine Initiative and Cancer Moonshot by passing the 21st Century Cures legislation in the lame-duck Congress.

A recent study has found a positive association between a county’s well-being score and life expectancy, even after controlling for race, poverty, and education. The findings indicated that investing in local well-being initiatives could improve the quality of life and increase longevity for that community.

A study on exercise class attendance found that participants in competitive social network groups went to more classes than those in supportive social networks. The findings also suggest that individual incentives are equally effective as team-based ones for motivating people to exercise.

This Election Day, voters chose to legalize or expand medical marijuana in Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota-every state where such a measure appeared on the ballot. Medical marijuana is now legal in 28 states and the District of Columbia.

As the healthcare industry continues its transition towards alternative payment models (APMs), some providers might feel apprehensive about keeping up with new requirements like those in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) final rule. However, these providers can use healthcare information technology (IT), data analysis tools, and other resources to adapt to these changes, according to Suzanne Travis, vice president of regulatory strategy at McKesson.

Among the measures on the ballot for Californians this Election Day is Proposition 61, the Drug Price Standards Initiative. The measure, which would restrict the amount state agencies pay for drugs, has a multitude of supporters and opponents who have amassed a combined $125.84 million in contributions as of Monday.

In conjunction with the state of Vermont, CMS announced the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model on Wednesday. The new model is the first of its kind and represents an advancement in the goal of redesigning the healthcare delivery system with an emphasis on high-value care and improved health outcomes.

At the fall live meeting of the ACO & Emerging Healthcare Delivery Coalition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, attendees heard presentations and participated in workshops that discussed care management, value-driven payment systems, and the future of healthcare.

A CMS investigation found that almost 46% of the doctor listings in Medicare Advantage (MA) directories contained incorrect information. Officials worry that these inaccuracies could make it more difficult for seniors to access the healthcare they need.

The opportunities for telehealth to radically transform the healthcare system are enormous, but the foremost priority of these innovations must be the delivery of value, said Reed V. Tuckson, MD, FACP, at the National Committee for Quality Assurance Quality Talks conference in Washington, DC, on Monday.

The healthcare community needs to understand and address the personal and social circumstances that contribute to a patient’s health before they can improve the quality of care, according to 2 presentations in the first segment of the National Committee for Quality Assurance Quality Talks conference in Washington, DC.

A home-based palliative care (HBPC) program tested within an accountable care organization (ACO) demonstrated substantial cost savings and reduced hospital admissions for patients near the end of life, according to a Journal of Palliative Medicine study.

A study of heavy drinkers found that those who drank coffee regularly were less than half as likely to develop alcoholic hepatitis. A certain genotype was also found to be a significant protective factor.

The innovative strategy of hotspotting, implemented by the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, was the focus of a session and a panel discussion during the first day of the ACO & Emerging Healthcare Delivery Coalition.