Mary Caffrey

Second of 2 parts: Coverage of the first half of the session appeared in the May issue of Evidence-Based Diabetes Management.1

Fitbits and other trackers are everywhere, but the study by JAMA finds that they may not help users with sustained weight loss, which has long eluded researchers.

A report finds that access to buprenorphine in Medicaid varies widely depending on where patients live. It's the latest example of the lack of mental health parity that former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy confronts in his long quest for equity in care.

While declining smoking rates have caused cardiovascular disease to decline overall, some risk factors are rising, such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.

The study in BMJ found that people with the FTO gene were just as likely to lose weight through interventions, such as diet, exercise, or therapy.

While obesity is a known risk factor in gestational diabetes, women who were obese and also were depressed when they became pregnant were at greater risk of gestational diabetes than those who did not have depression.

The dispute between the ACLU and Colorado Medicaid has been seen in other states and with other payers. Policy questions on treatment for hepatitis C virus were examined in a special issue of The American Journal of Managed Care.

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative would cover research on obesity, gun violence, environmental threats, adolescent health, and drug addiction.

Evidence has been accumulating that links irregular sleep with chronic disease, but today is the first time the American Heart Association has issued a statement on the topic.

Officials say the company will file with FDA some time in the third quarter of 2016 to begin the approval process for the novel delivery system that brings a continuous, microscopic dose of exenatide to patients with type 2 diabetes.

Results for Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide were reported today at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. A filing for FDA approval is expected before the end of the year.

The report showed a strong connection between states with high rates of inactivity and those with the highest rates of obesity.

The current issue of Evidence-Based Diabetes Management explores studies and patient access issues surrounding this closely watched inhaled insulin.

Gaining access to Afrezza can mean battling with an insurer to cover it. Sometimes the first hurdle is getting a doctor to write a prescription, according to those who've been through the process.

The suit doesn't address whether soda taxes have any effect on obesity or public health, but instead hinges on finer points of Pennsylvania tax law and its constitution.

Pfizer and Merck plan to file new drug applications with FDA for the SGLT2 inhibitor by the end of the year. One combination would pair ertugliflozin with Januvia, the blockbuster DPP-4 inhibitor.

An effort by the University of Utah health system created an "opportunity index" to identify areas of cost variability that would show physicians where they could find savings and improve quality.

The authors said this is the first study to examine antihypertension nonadherence down to the county level. Recommendations include greater use of combination therapy to reduce pill counts for patients with multiple chronic conditions, and synchronizing pharmacy visits to avoid multiple trips.

While the report found that the obesity rate among service members had gone up steadily since 2001, it was still only a fraction of the rate among the US population overall.

Two new reports suggest that Medicaid block grants could lock in disparities in federal funding between states that spend a lot on the poor and those that do not.

The trial showed use of the flash glucose monitoring system dramatically reduced the number of finger sticks while significantly reducing hypoglycemia, including at night.

A group of patients receiving intensive diabetes management treatment lived 7.9 years longer and had fewer cardiovascular events, the study found.

The study supports earlier findings that warning labels affect parental choices of beverages for their children.

Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts said payers and employers are increasingly frustrated about paying in excess of $3000 a month for drugs that patients soon abandon, meaning they experienced little medical benefit.

The study is the first to show a protective benefit of having a vaginal delivery after a prior cesarean birth.

Uninsured rates are much higher in states that have not expanded Medicaid, according to a CDC report.

Pediatricians are advised to not simply focus on weight loss, but also to examine behaviors. Too rapid weight loss could be a sign of trouble and dieting in young teens often leads to being overweight later.

The poll, which the Kaiser Family Foundation has done at intervals since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, once again found Americans divided on how they felt about the healthcare law.

The state-by-state obesity figures revealed huge health disparities. Obesity rates for whites reached 35% in just 2 states, while the rates reached 35% for blacks in 34 states and the District of Columbia, and 11 states for Hispanics.

A diverse group of 1242 patients received diabetes self-management education either in-person or online and achieved lowered blood glucose and depression levels, had fewer symptoms of hypoglycemia, and exercised more.