Laura Joszt, MA

Without nationwide improvements in infection control and antibiotic prescribing, drug-resistant infections and C. difficile are expected to increase, but coordinated efforts could prevent 619,000 infections over 5 years.

Using an appointment-based medication synchronization program can improve adherence rates among patients taking chronic medications, according to a new study published in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.

In the fourth year of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, which makes hospitals pay closer attention to their patients after discharge, half of the nation's hospitals will be penalized by Medicare because of their readmissions.

A study attempting to characterize the true preventability of venous thromboembolism determined that financial penalties based on the total number of patients who suffer blood clots in the lung or leg may be unfairly imposed.

The diagnosis and management of patients with dementing illnesses can be challenging, but the cost of misdiagnosing dementia as Alzheimer's disease can be as high as $14,000 a year, according to a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia.

The most recent issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report analyzed the first data available on the functional types of disability in a state-based health survey and determined prevalence of functional disability.

Measure definitions to estimate the effects of cost sharing on adherence to medications prescribed together (ie, concurrent adherence) are lacking.

Healthcare spending growth between 2014 and 2024 is projected to be substantially lower than the 3 decades prior to 2008, according to a new report from CMS. In addition, the average premium for a basic Medicare Part D prescription plan will remain stable in 2016.

While growing marketplace enrollment in state-based exchanges is important, retaining enrollees is equally so, and a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute analyzed the renewal process for 6 states.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology will be awarding $38 million to 20 organizations in 3 health information technology grant programs working to further nationwide efforts to achieve better care, smarter spending, and healthier people.

All-cause mortality and hospitalization rates and inpatient expenditures among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries decreased from 1999 to 2013.

Two inexpensive generic drugs have been shown to reduce breast cancer deaths in postmenopausal women, according to studies published in The Lancet.

Although hospital readmissions can be difficult to predict, there is a link between the number of discharge medications prescribed to a patient and the risk of 30-day readmission.

Consolidation among the biggest health insurers in the US continues as Anthem announces it will purchase Cigna for $54 billion after a month of rocky negotiations.

By 2050 more than 28 million additional baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's disease and the cost of caring for them will account for nearly one-fourth of Medicare spending by 2040, according to research presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference.

In the first clinical study to demonstrate the importance of precision medicine in lymphomas, researchers determined that patients with a specific molecular subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma responded better to ibrutinib than patients with a different molecular subtype.

A gene known to cause cancer may also play a role in determining obesity, according to researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center.

Hackers have accessed the personal information of 4.5 million people after the UCLA Health System became the victim of a cyberattack on May 5, 2015.

Approximately 9 million Medicare beneficiaries are considered "complex care" and they often incur high out-of-pocket costs. As lifespans lengthen, it becomes important for Medicare to adapt to serve these complex care beneficiaries.

Viruses, not bacteria, are the most commonly detected pathogen in US adults hospitalized with pneumonia; however, neither viruses nor bacteria were detected in the majority of these patients despite current diagnostic tests.

Former CMS administrator, Marilyn B. Tavenner, will step into the role of president and chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans.

In a move that will create the largest healthcare system in New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Health System and Barnabas Health have signed a merger agreement that will create RWJ Barnabas Health. The merger is expected to be complete in 2016, but the agreement is subject to review by the New Jersey Attorney General.

A new issue brief by America's Health Insurance Plans explores the recent trends in the specialty drug market and recommends policy solutions to promote high-value, high-quality care.

The concept of value may be, and is, interpreted differently among healthcare stakeholders, and not only do cancer patients define value differently from policy makers, but also from other patients.

President Barack Obama has nominated Andy Slavitt to become the new administrator of CMS.

By an overwhelming majority, the House of Representatives approved the 21st Century Cures Act, which stands advance big data and precision medicine and strengthen the National Institutes of Health and FDA.

There is an important mismatch existing between the types of treatments proposed by patients and clinicians and those being researched.

As CMS continues to transform the Medicare program to a quality- and outcomes-based system, the agency is proposing to support patient- and family-centered care for Medicare beneficiaries by enabling them to discuss advance care planning with their providers.

Despite efforts by states to introduce legislation to make healthcare pricing information more accessible for consumers, most states still receive an F grade, according to the third annual Report Card on State Price Transparency Laws.

While a better understanding has led to a drop in the colorectal cancer death rate by half, the progress made in the last few decades has not been equal across the United States, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.