Laura Joszt, MA

Health is improving around the world, but 7 out of 10 deaths are now due to noncommunicable diseases, like stroke, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and drug use disorders, according to a special issue of The Lancet.

Specialty pharmacy pipelines, healthy behaviors, and regulation took the stage at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP)’s 2016 Nexus conference, which was held October 3-6 in National Harbor, Maryland.

During the second day of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2016 Nexus meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, 2 speakers from Humana outlined how merging economics with psychology and sociology has helped them improve medication adherence and nudge their members into making healthier choices.

Even when following clinical guidelines, some patients will respond far better to treatment than others, and some will have worse side effects than expected. During a session at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2016 Nexus meeting, Nicole Scovis, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, and Sandra Leal, PharmD, MPH, both of SinfoniaRx in Tucson, Arizona, explained how precision medicine can be integrated into primary care practice to improve care.

With 6 years under his belt, Patrick Conway, MD, is the longest serving chief medical officer in CMS history. During those 6 years, he has seen alignment with private payers increasing, Conway said during a plenary session at the fall meeting of the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations.

Legislation regarding the promotion of healthcare economic information is outdated and does not reflect the changes that have occurred since the FDA Modernization Act (FDAMA) was passed in 1997, contended speakers at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s 2016 Nexus, held in National Harbor, Maryland, October 3-6.

Perennial favorite, Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, senior clinical consultant of emerging therapeutics at Express Scripts, opened the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2016 Nexus, October 3, 2016, in National Harbor, Maryland, with a discussion of specialty pharmaceutical drugs in the pipeline.

Having a disability is not only a physical burden that can impair a person’s ability to run errands, such as going to the doctor’s office, but it is a cause of financial difficulty due to issues including unemployment and the cost of care.

During a session of the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations, panelists discuss the benefits of integrating behavioral health and the role accountable care organizations can play.

During the fall meeting of the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) in Washington, DC, speakers from the government and from various ACOs across the country shared their insights into the success and opportunities of these delivery models. Here are 5 takeaways from the NAACOS fall conference.

During the plenary session on the first day of the fall meeting of the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations, CMS' Sean Cavanaugh discussed the outcomes of the Medicare ACO programs and members of 2 successful ACOs joined him on stage to provide their input.

A series of papers in The Lancet highlights how city planning and urban design can prevent chronic diseases and create healthier and more sustainable cities.

Under the Affordable Care Act, health centers received federal funding to provide comprehensive primary care to patients in underserved communities. An analysis of Medicaid claims data in 13 states has found that these health centers reduced spending by 24% per Medicaid patient.

Most efforts to reduce low-value care have so far been focused on areas where there is general agreement, and more discussions are needed to reach a consensus on additional aspects of care that are considered low value.

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, is stepping down as president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) after 14 years in charge. As of yet, no successor has been named.

While adoption of personal health records and electronic patient portals increased from 2012 to 2015, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical found that the adoption rates for Hispanics and low-income individuals have lagged behind non-Hispanics and higher-income individuals.

Millennials are one of the few bright spots in American well-being. According to Gallup, millennials in the United States have a lower obesity rate compared with older generations, and millennials have actually seen their obesity rate go down since 2008.

WalletHub recently analyzed the impact of the America’s geography on healthcare quality and costs and ranked the states based on which had the best state healthcare systems.

The city of Baltimore has released a blueprint for reducing health disparities in the city by half over the next decade. The Healthy Baltimore 2020 plan outlines priorities to promote health and well-being.

The American Journal of Managed Care recently published the findings of a 10-year initiative to improve the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective care. Here are 5 key takeaways from the research.

While the majority of the adults infected with hepatitis C virus are baby boomers-people between the ages of 51 and 71 years-Alaska is seeing a large spike in infection rates among young adults.

In the August issue of Evidence-Based Oncology, The Samfund's Samantha Watson, MBA, and Michelle Landwehr, MPH, outline how young adult cancer survivors are disproportionately affected by treatment costs. This infographic breaks down the vicious cycle these patients get stuck in.

In this podcast Margaret E. O'Kane discusses how she got into quality measurement, the beginning of the National Committee for Quality Assurance, and the next frontier in quality measurement.

Margaret E. O'Kane has been making lasting impacts on healthcare quality measurement for years. But when she founded the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the organization was sometimes underestimated and not taken seriously.

As health insurers reduce their involvement in the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s insurance exchanges and states approve sharp premium increases for 2017, HHS is trying to assuage fears that coverage under the ACA will be unaffordable for consumers next year.

Researchers from Tufts Medical Center analyzed findings from 26 studies to determine how drug exclusion policies affect patients and healthcare costs.

The use of orphan drugs for non-orphan diseases is driving up the cost of these already expensive medications. A new report from America’s Health Insurance Plans found that almost half of the utilization for 46 orphan drugs were used for non-orphan indications.

Patients who suffer heart attacks or flare-ups of congestive heart failure can fare worse in hospitals that are more likely to send them to the intensive care unit (ICU), according to a study published in CHEST.

CMS unveiled the results of its new star rating system for hospitals amid great controversy. Here are 5 things to know about the new Medicare stars rating program for hospitals.

Karen B. DeSalvo, MD, MPH, the national coordinator for health information technology, will be relinquishing the position on August 12. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell sent an e-mail to HHS staff to announce the change.