Pain Management

Sativex,a cannabinoid developed together by GW Pharmaceuticals and Otsuka, receives FDA's Fast Track status for advanced cancer pain.

Most people want to take medications as prescribed, even if they sometimes need a little help remembering. For them, an automated system that monitors drug taking and provides feedback after the fact may be more useful than one that nags people when it is time to take a pill, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University say.

The proportion of available on-patent drugs covered in low copay tiers varied by insurance type, with the lowest proportion being in Medicare plans.

Shifting physician revenue from drug sales to cognitive services for mature pathways providers did not affect practice behavior in this payer-sponsored Oncology Medical Home.

Pharmacists and drug manufacturers are pushing the CMS for a one-year transition period before states attempt to implement a new formula mandated under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that will significantly trim Medicaid reimbursement rates for generic drugs.

Christine Strahl, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, specialty pharmacy program manager, HealthPartners, says there are several new distribution channels in specialty pharmacy.

Ophthalmologists are among Medicare's highest paid specialists-a finding already drawing scrutiny from policymakers and watchdogs worried about waste and overuse.

Some health systems are moving beyond surgery in serving back pain patients.

Prescription records show that as use of opioids like OxyContin and Vicodin soared in the 2000s, so did the use of "benzos" such as Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan, as opioid users discovered tranquilizers could enhance "the high."

The Food and Drug Administration will get a 1% funding increase from President Barack Obama's proposed fiscal 2015 budget, a level some say is not enough to cover the agency's new responsibilities and the increasingly global nature of the products it regulates.

Doctors and other health providers wrote about 11 million fewer prescriptions for narcotic painkillers in 2013 than in 2012, but some experts expected a bigger drop-off given the brighter spotlight on the nation's opioid epidemic.

Session highlights from the Managed Markets Summit in Orlando, FL, February 25-27.

Laurie Wesolowicz, PharmD, director, pharmacy services clinical, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), says that clinical evidence and other factors can drive formulary decision-making. Evidence can influence the value and coverage recommendations for drugs covered under the pharmacy (formulary) and medical benefits.

Examining the financial impact that patient assistance programs and the 340B Drug Pricing Program have on improving medication cost.

Once limited to filling and dispensing drugs, pharmacists are increasingly providing direct care to patients. Across the country, they are working with doctors to give immunizations and help patients safely manage medications.

The coming year will be one for those who have beaten cancer to develop survivorship plans, with the Commission on Cancer to require planning by treatment centers starting in 2015.

One of the central features of a value-based system is a financial "stick." If patients insist on medical procedures that science shows to be ineffective or unnecessary, they'll have to pay for all or most of the cost.

Palliative care adapted to specific high-risk patients' needs can reduce emergency room visits, improve overall care and drive down healthcare costs, but the current policy and practice framework presents numerous obstacles to its implementation.

Reigning in costs is a key component of healthcare reform. So it is clear why it will be essential for both providers and policy makers to identify those most at risk for driving up costs.

A study of Aetna patients taking pain medication showed that those who displayed problematic behavior cost the healthcare system more money than a cost control group, even if there was not a diagnosis of addiction.

Patients using mail order pharmacies have lower healthcare utilization, but somewhat less laboratory monitoring of persistent medications and slightly higher contraindicated medication use.

Supporters of a soon-to-be law that creates an optional new class of FDA-certified compounding pharmacies are cautiously optimistic newly passed legislation will prevent future public health crisis.

A large proportion of opioid analgesic treated chronic pain patients exhibited behaviors indicative of potentially problematic opioid use, which significantly affected healthcare costs.