All News

A multistakeholder approach to patient assistance programs was the topic of discussion at ACCC's first annual ICLIO meeting in Philadelphia.

October is breast cancer awareness month and a new report from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has revealed just how hard it can be to pin down the cost of care for this disease.

An initiative by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to implement integrated, value-based care on a wide scale has run into criticism from legislators who say it will bring financial harm to some safety net hospitals. A Senate hearing today concluded with a call for an investigation from the Attorney General into how the alliance was created.

The evidence of weight-loss improving overall well-being and predisposition to chronic as well as acute conditions is mounting. We now need coverage policies that can help patients take advantage of weight loss procedures.

The PCSK9 drugs are stirring up a lot of attention, primarily around how to restrict access. But, no one is talking about how to best manage the patient's needs.

Reimbursement remains a primary concern with the new immuno-oncology agents. Who pays and how do you ensure payment was fervently discussed by oncologists at the recent ICLIO meeting hosted by the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

The use of telemedicine could be an alternative to visits at respiratory outpatient clinics for patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a study published in the International Journal of COPD.

A new medication therapy management model being rolled out by CMS will test strategies to improve medication use among Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the Part D drug program.

The top managed care stories this week include a new PhRMA head and recommendations to update measurements designed to improve health and control costs in the Medicaid program.

Most telling were the interviews with hospital leaders, who said the bonus payments did more to reinforce existing trends in quality care than alter them.

A study reports that despite the steady growth in hospital-based palliative care programs, access is sketchy and is driven by geographic location and hospital ownership.

The technique deploys several strategies to reduce cancer risk. It is being evaluated in mouse models but researchers are already looking ahead to human studies.

The next generation of healthcare was the main topic of conversation at the 65th Annual Roy A. Bowers Pharmaceutical Conference, held by the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

A government-funded network of specialized survivor clinics in Ontario, Canada, significantly decreased emergency department visits among adult survivors of childhood cancer.

The study plans to evaluate the impact of a personalized approach to breast cancer screening over an annual mammogram.

An earlier plan from Governor Gary Herbert that was paid for with existing state funds was rejected by the legislature. The current plan would add 95,000 Utahns to Medicaid, with hospitals paying most of the state's share after 2017.

Researchers say the results may help physicians better target screening for obese youth.

My visit to the gynecologist's office following treatment for breast cancer and a subsequent reconstructive surgery was a rude awakening.

This approval marks the first-ever for 2 immuno-oncology agents in cancer treatment.

Researchers in China and the United States have developed a predictive model capable of forecasting which patients will account for either small or large proportions of healthcare resource utilization in the next 6 months.

The result of a multicollaborative effort, the study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that incorporating breast density information in the risk calculator could accurately estimate women's risk for the disease.

The findings come as CMS is poised to finalize a rule to pay doctors to counsel patients about end-of-life treatment options.

All 3 methods caused patients to lose weight, but 2 were more likely to produce remission in type 2 diabetes.

Pregnant women need clear, transparent information on the costs associated with childbirth so they can derive the most value form the healthcare they receive.

A study published in BMJ measured the prevalence, annual compensation, and beneficial stock ownership of directors from publicly traded healthcare companies who had academic affiliations.

The CHHiP trial found fewer high-dose radiotherapy was as effective as more number of low-dose radiotherapy in men with prostate cancer.

Kevin W. Wildes, SJ, PhD, said that Pope Francis' call for access to healthcare leaves the specifics up to US leaders, as the church does not say that one system is better than another.

As the country increases the pace of shifting to value-based payments, a significant question remains: how can independent primary care doctors operate in this new environment?

Healthcare networks around the country will be getting some financial help from HHS to improve quality of care, increase patient access to information, and reduce costs.

An NCI-funded Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium study has found that computer-aided detection and interpretation of mammograms does not add any value to breast cancer screening.