Mary Caffrey

HHS Sylvia Mathews Burwell has made fighting opioid and heroin abuse a priority and has talked about the effects of addiction on her home state of West Virginia.

Patterns of meeting the minimum number of minutes to qualify for higher reimbursement rates were seen in 4 states: Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Indiana. CMS said it will refer this matter to auditors for review.

The study revealed large disparities in prediabetes levels among young adults by race and ethnicity, underscoring the challenge for public officials in finding solutions to poor access to healthy food and safe places for children to play.

The report found higher death rates from liver cancer among the age group most at risk for hepatitis C virus, those born between 1945 and 1965. But increased rates of diabetes, obesity, and alcohol use are to blame for rising liver cancer deaths as well.

It's no surprise that researchers were unable to come to firm conclusions about the cardiovascular safety of Contrave based on partial results. An accompanying editorial in JAMA finds that a repeat of the LIGHT saga could force FDA to demand full safety data before approval.

As the fallout over Horizon BCBS of New Jersey's OMNIA tiered health plan continues, the legislature weighs the question: how much transparency will protect consumers and safety-net providers while ensuring a vibrant market that drives down costs?

The LEADER trial is the latest in a recent wave of cardiovascular outcomes trials now required by FDA for diabetes and obesity therapies. Full results will be reported in June at the meeting of the American Diabetes Association.

Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, found that most cancer patients would like to discuss financial concerns with their doctors, but few actually do, for a variety of reasons.

Flatiron Health seeks to use data to prevent the patient experience from being lost.

The acting attorney general, elevated on Monday, issued a letter later Friday saying he found no problem with the way Horizon's OMNIA Health Alliance was implemented. The move comes days before a hearing on legislation regarding tiered networks, to be chaired by one of the lawmakers who asked for the probe.

The study, published in the journal Nature, found that mice fed a high-fat diet had more stem cells that behaved differently outside their natural environment, showing signs that would be associated with tumor growth.

CMS has granted Michigan a waiver to expand free healthcare to an additional 15,000 children and pregnant women affected by lead poisoned water.

The average cost per episode dropped $6708 from the first year of the pilot to the third year.

The Republican frontrunner's plan did not say how some of its proposals would be paid for in the federal budget, and parts of it were at odds were previous statements in support of requiring coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Oncologists now face a cost discussion that was not part of their medical training. It's a balancing act between the big picture of understanding the burdens on the system and "the patient in front of you."

The Diabetes Telehealth Network has a goal of enrolling 200 patients and providing remote care for 18 months. Results from the first 100 patients show not a single readmission; the project found 18 cases of diabetic retinopathy that would have otherwise been missed.

Emanuel F. Petricoin III, PhD, said patients have much to gain from "democratization" as clinical trials move beyond academic centers.

The authors said the incidence rates in type 1 diabetes compared with type 2 show that insulin treatment is not to blame for increased cancer rates.

The report found that in 2013 the price for the average therapy rose 9.4%, while inflation only rose 1.5%. Social Security benefit increases are pegged to overall inflation, not drug prices.

CMS said Iowa had made substantial progress since December 2015, but its approval letter laid out several conditions to protect beneficiaries.

The results at 2 years show that aflibercept, marketed as Eylea, have benefits over bevacizumab for patients who start treatment with vision of 20/50 or worse.

GAO found that the first challenge to improving hospital safety can be getting good data about one's own institution.

In the years since the passage of the ACA, the partisan divide over "Obamacare" remains as sharp as ever. The Kaiser poll also found that reaction to universal health coverage shifts depending on what it is called.

Unlike former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempt to limit soda portions, this rule gives consumers information and lets them make their own decisions. Such measures have had more support from the public and the courts.

A report from The Food Trust offers ideas and case studies on how to get fruits and vegetables to the customers who historically have had less access to them.

BMJ's study found no link bewteen incretin-based drugs and pancreatic cancer but said because of the latency of the cancer, adverse effects would have to be watched.

While smart cards would stop about 20% of fraudulent act, it wouldn't catch acts in which providers or beneficiaries are complicit, such as billing for unnecessary services.

Pollution is believed to create insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, which leads to obesity and diabetes.

The state's first-of-its-kind model for delivering Medicaid creates brings managed care concepts without commercial insurers to the one of the nation's poorest markets.

At a State House press conference, critics of OMNIA highlight early problems, with a physician describing how the tiered health plan is disrupting existing patient-centered medical homes.