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What we're reading, July 4, 2016: a hospital is offering free housing to get super-utilizers out of the emergency room; campaigns for patients to gain access to stem cell treatments are gaining momentum; and why hospital/physician integration and consolidation probably won't lower costs.

In the last 5 years urgent care has seen a rise in popularity. Here are 5 facts about urgent care clinics.

The Endocrine Society notes that diabetes has become more prevalent as people report sleeping fewer hours per night.

At the Cancer Moonshot Summit, Vice President Joe Biden cautioned research scientists to expect funding cuts if they failed to report, in a timely manner, the findings of clinical trials.

What we're reading, June 30, 2016: one doctor makes the case for the FDA moving away from a simple approval/no approval system; Massachusetts and Gilead come to an agreement over hepatitis C drug rebates; and Georgia considers Medicaid expansion.

How does a state with almost no money launch Medicaid expansion? Louisiana health officials used data they already had, and in doing so have created a model that could be used elsewhere.

More than one-third of patients with atrial fibrillation who are have a moderate to high risk for stroke are being treated with aspirin, even though it is well known that blood thinners provide more protection.

The lawsuit seeks an additional 7 years' protection for the popular cholesterol drug, which sold 20.3 million prescriptions last year.

CMS has announced that the Oncology Care Model (OCM) developed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has 196 practices and 17 payers enrolled for participation.

The 17-member panel will hold 5 public meetings to review evidence before issuing its report. The last set of guidelines was published in 2008.

The citation from the World Economic Forum allows the digital behavioral health company to participate in the annual meeting of new champions.Some will also participate in the annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

When the topic of affordability of healthcare comes up, people usually mean the price of healthcare, but there is a difference, said Tomas Philipson, PhD, of the University of Chicago, at the ISPOR Annual Meeting.

What we're reading, June 29, 2016: CMS is considering changes to the proposed Medicare Part B demonstration; Senate Democrats block the GOP's Zika funding bill; and a Bloomberg analysis shines light on the pricing practices of the pharmaceutical industry.

A newly formed data-sharing initiative, Oncology Precision Network (OPeN), is promising a boost to precision medicine via data access to several health systems and cancer patients in the nation.

Improved health literacy will help consumers understand plans and benefits so that they can make better decisions and Florida Blue has focused on experiential marketing where customers are engaged in community events, outreach programs, and educational sessions, explained Anne Jessup, senior director of digital channels at Florida Blue.

Maximizing the utility of technology platforms and making them meaningful to ensure quality cancer care was the underlying theme of Emerging Issues and Opportunities in Health Information Technology, a National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Summit.

Nearly one-third of American consumers report experiencing a steep increase over the last year in prices paid for drugs they routinely take, which is having a spillover effect on all phases of their lives.

A combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir (Epclusa) that is effective against all 6 major forms of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has received the FDA’s consent to market.

What we're reading, June 28, 2016: Illinois approves Aetna-Humana merger; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care reaches value-based payment agreements with Novartis and Eli Lilly; and the Supreme Court struck down key aspects of the Texas abortion law.

Six former FDA commissioners participated in a discussion at the Aspen Ideas Festival on the challenges that the agency faces and whether it is well equipped to do its job.

The rising cost of drugs is a cause for concern among various stakeholders in healthcare, some of who worry that staying on the current trajectory will “break the bank,” said panelists during a session at the ISPOR Annual Meeting.

Identifying simple practices that hospices can implement to contribute to fewer future patient hospitalizations can not only save on hospitalization costs, but also benefit patient quality of life.

What we're reading, June 27, 2016: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is leaving the individual market; out-of-pocket costs for hospital visits grew 37% in 5 years; and a growing number of millennials are becoming caregivers for loved ones.

More than 58% of healthcare payers’ businesses have already shifted to full value-based reimbursement models, a 10% increase since 2014.

At the Pharmacy Quality Alliance's Annual Meeting, Kate Goodrich, MD, of CMS, and a group of experts discussed the government's move toward value-based care and the use of quality measures.

Prescription drug spending between 2014 and 2015 increased at a much higher rate among health exchange plans compared with commercial plans, Medicare, and Medicaid plans. Express Scripts highlighted 3 select trends that are having the biggest impact on plans.

This week in managed care, the top stories included House Republicans' new plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, new funding from HHS to help small practices follow the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, and the Supreme Court rules on a patent lawsuit that impacts pharmaceutical companies.

Despite recommendations and the passage of legislation, there is little evidence that the quality of behavioral health has improved significantly over the last 10 years in the United States.

For African Americans in poor Mississippi counties, having diabetes and kidney disease in combination lead to cardiovascular death rates that were on par with underdeveloped nations.

Although physiologic vital signs tell healthcare providers a great deal about their patients’ health status, providers need, but don’t have ready access to, information about their patients’ neighborhoods.