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Navigating the complex health care system isn't always easy, especially for newly enrolled consumers who are using their new benefits for the first time. But health plans are there to help these new consumers sort through the system and prepare them to take charge of their health coverage and care.

In response to a law passed two years ago, the FDA was directed to assess the extent to which women and minorities are represented in clinical trials and also devise a plan to bolster their participation.

Consurers may need to find new ways to control costs for specialty drugs, as more states add limits to cost-sharing and utilization continues to grow.

Health plans have a long list of tools they use to deliver better value and access to health care consumers.

The troubled Open Payment Act website is encountering a bit more turbulence. The CMS announced Thursday that it plans upcoming outages for the site and that downtime would be used for "scheduled maintenance upgrades."

Regional health information exchanges with clinical event notification services have the potential to improve care coordination and possibly reduce unnecessary inpatient admissions and duplicate testing, according to a study in Generating Evidence & Methods to improve patient outcomes.

The CMS late Friday finalized a rule allowing hospitals and eligible professionals more flexibility in how they meet meaningful-use requirements for the electronic health-record incentive program. The agency had first proposed the idea in a May draft rule.

Two large health insurers are hoping a new "public utility" patient data sharing service will improve one of the most pernicious problems in American healthcare.

The tool is aimed to provide decision-support to both patients and physicians while considering their reimbursement information.

While the 40% funding boost will help patients continue current expensive treatment, or improve access for others, determining "value for money" is high on the NHS agenda.

Yesterday's announcement that Pennsylvania will become the 27th state to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act was closely watched in both healthcare and political circles, for it shows further accommodation to both local health needs and political considerations. Will Pennsylvania's deal with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services be the last, coming after Arkansas and Iowa? Or is it a sign that Medicaid, which has always combined federal mandates with some local flavor, will continue to shift with the political winds in the states?

The phase 2 study combined lenalidomide with R-CHOP in newly diagnosed patients.

Health insurance companies, now required to spend the lion's share of premium revenue on patient care, are looking for higher investment returns elsewhere. As a result, they're increasingly putting money into technology ventures where they expect to realize higher returns.

Obama administration has granted over $35 million to support facility improvements in 147 health centers nationwide to deliver better coordinated care.

This week's news that Aetna would be repaid $8.4 million after uncovering a questionable relationship between three clinics and a hospital has its roots in a well-known managed care reality: If you're treated in a hospital setting, it costs more.

The approval follows an accelerated assessment by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP).

It'll be the 28th state to join the program.

AAFP Board Chair Jeff Cain, MD, of Denver, sent a detailed response to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, MA, wherein he outlined some specific AAFP suggestions for improving the 2015 fee schedule.

The research, being conducted at UC Berkley, is being funded by the Cures Acceleration Network, which is one of dozens of state and federal agencies established by the health law.

Improved cognitive computing by the supercomputer has accelerated the pace of scientific breakthroughs by discovering previously unknown connections in Big Data.

Sandoz, the companies generics unit, recently submitted an application with the US FDA for approval of it's biosimilar filgrastim; it's the first-ever biosimilar application with the FDA.

The study, published in the journal Cancer, identified a direct correlation between Medicaid payout for office visits and cancer screening in several states.

UniNet and BCBS of Nebraska are negotiating over the renewal terms of a contract that is to expire end of August. Failure of talks could leave several hospitals and physicians out-of-network for Blue Cross members.

The interactive tool provides historical trends as well as tracks funding levels across programs, US agencies, and initiatives.

Recent growth in health care spending for commercially insured individuals is due primarily to increases in prices for medical services, rather than increased use, according to a new study led by researchers at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, published today in the American Journal of Managed Care.

The race will feature a Republican turned Democrat against a one-time supporter of Medicaid expansion who now isn't so sure. But this much is certain: in Florida's race for governor, health care will take center stage, as former Gov. Charlie Crist tries to unseat incumbent Gov. Rick Scott.

The recommendation, based on a review conducted by KPRA EPC, identified significant changes in metabolic parameters like glucose, blood pressure, and LDL, following counseling, among individuals with cardiovascular risk factors.

The precursor to Medicare's large and growing accountable careprogram ran five years and ended the month after the Affordable Care Act became law. The results, summarized in a new report, have proved prescient and may inform policy changes the CMS is expected to issue soon.

Following the news that pembrolizumab may be approved earlier than expected, Pfizer and Merck have announced a partnership to evaluate the PD-1 inhibitor in combination with Pfizer's Xalkori.