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Data from a post hoc analysis is adding to positive literature on vagus nerve stimulation, concluding that the treatment quickly and consistently reduced pain intensity while decreasing rescue medication use among patients with episodic migraine.

What does it take to achieve member-centric, value-based care in population health? At a conference in New Jersey on Thursday, speakers talked about using partnerships and data to solve challenges, especially ones made worse by poor social determinants of health.

Citing the low level of reporting and subsequent drop of 8462 individuals from coverage, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) said that the current process is likely not structured in a way that provides enrollees an opportunity to succeed under the requirements and, as a result, is calling for a pause in disenrollments in order to make proper adjustments to the program.

The announcement is an about-face from earlier efforts that scrapped a cardiac care bundled payment program originally developed during the Obama administration.

Individuals who suffer from knee pain also may suffer from neuropathic-like knee pain (NKP)—a result of localized damage to the nervous system and nerve fibers around a joint. Recent research aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of NKP, finding that NKP is driven by central risk factors and may require unique prevention and treatment strategies.

The Trump administration will allow religious groups, nonprofits, small businesses, and some other employers to opt out of providing birth control coverage for their employees; an analysis of over 50 million family trees finds that genes have little impact on life span; and women who wake up early have a lower risk of developing breast cancer.

A randomized clinical trial in obese or overweight pregnant women evaluating the use of a modified diet regimen shows a beneficial effect of a modified Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on gestation weight gain compared with usual care.

According to a review published in Cancer Management and Research, biosimilar products present a viable cost-saving tool for providers participating in value-based care programs such as the Medicare Shared Savings Program or the Oncology Care Model.

With healthcare in the spotlight after this week's midterm elections, there are a number of things elected officials can do to encourage hospital safety, said the head of the Leapfrog Group as it released its fall 2018 rankings of Hospital Safety Grades.

Despite impending changes in Washington, DC, as the Democrats are set to take over the House of Representatives in 2019, the divided federal government could lead to a spell of predictability for some healthcare sectors as most action shifts to the state level.

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new tool to study genetic switches active in human glioblastoma tumors that drive the growth of the cancer.

Today, the FDA approved elotuzumab (Empliciti), an injection for intravenous use in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (EPd) for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least 2 prior therapies.

The study examined several social factors that can affect health outcomes when patients are hospitalized for cardiovascular events.

Inhaled corticosteroids, used for preventing acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), often lead to increased high blood eosinophil count, while low blood eosinophil count is often associated with pneumonia risk—however, the prognostic role of blood eosinophil count has not yet been explored. In a recent study, researchers found that the severity of emphysema was independently linked with low blood eosinophil count and the longer survival period was associated with increased blood eosinophil count.

The use of CTLA-4, PD-1, or a combination approach achieved high response rates and improved overall survival in patients with CDKN2A mutations with metastatic melanoma, based on the results of a study by Helgadottir et al.

The Commonwealth Fund, together with The New York Times and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has published a new paper on the experiences of Americans with serious illnesses. The found that the healthcare system adds to patients’ burden of illness, and paying for care can be financially challenging or even ruinous for millions of patients.

Healthcare was a key factor in the 2018 midterm elections and gave Democrats the ability to stop the Trump administration’s efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and make some other changes to Medicare and Medicaid, but did not produce enough of a victory to advance major changes; voters in 2 states rejected 2 separate union-backed ballot measures that would have affected dialysis clinics and hospitals; in California, Governor-elect Gavin Newsom campaigned on a platform of single-payer health insurance overhaul, but now that he’s won, he and the Democratic-controlled legislature will take a slower approach.

Daratumumab, a human CD38-directed monoclonal antibody, has been confirmed as safe in a population of heavily pretreated patients with multiple myeloma who received access to the treatment before the medication was commercially available, according to an early access treatment protocol study published in Cancer.

Children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) face an increased risk of obesity and growth impairment from the disease and during ALL treatment, regardless of exposure to cranial irradiation, according to a recent study.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is using artificial intelligence (AI) to process screening mammographies after a retrospective study found that AI can measure breast density—a risk factor for having tumors that could be missed during a scan—at the screening level of an experienced radiographer.

With a preference for healthcare as the number one issue among Democrats and independents, the 2018 midterm election is being called a referendum on healthcare issues. But at the federal level, will healthcare become a gridlocked issue for the next 2 years of President Trump's first term?

Elevated blood pressure and stage 1 and 2 hypertension before age 40 puts young adults at higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events later in life compared to those with normal blood pressure, according to a new study published in JAMA.

A study published in the journal mBio has found a correlation between regions where mycobacteria are most prevalent in showerhead biofilm and regions where nontuberous mycobacterial (NTM) lung infections are the most prevalent, providing more evidence about the important role played by showerheads in transmission of NTM lung infections in the United States and Europe.

Hispanics living with HIV are at an increased risk of developing cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) compared to the general Hispanic population, and among people living with HIV, Hispanics are more likely to be diagnosed with cervical and penile cancer.

A report from the President’s Cancer Panel has found that use of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines remain low, despite improvements; Novartis believes that its new gene therapy to treat spinal muscular atrophy could cost $4 million to $5 million per patient; the chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society (ACS) resigned over concerns regarding controversial fundraising partnerships.

Adjusted incidence rate ratios showed that febrile neutropenia following chemotherapy carried an approximately 2-fold risk of long-term infection.

Effective care coordination can improve health outcomes for patients with chronic conditions, and a new study found that partnering such a model with bundled interventions can lower spending, as well as improve outcomes, for patients in an urban environment.

More than one-third of 9000 pediatric hospital reports described a drug dosing error that was usually related to too much or too little medicine due to the usability of the electronic health record (EHR), according to a study published Monday in Health Affairs.

Developing a predictive model can identify which patients could be at risk of developing an opioid use disorder and allow health systems to prevent this from happening.

The FDA has approved a new sublingual formulation of sufentanil, Dsuvia, for the management of acute pain in adults in medically supervised healthcare settings, such as hospitals, surgical centers, and emergency departments. The drug is supplied in a 30 microgram tablet in a single-dose, prefilled applicator for administration by a healthcare professional, and it will not be available in retail pharmacies or for outpatient use.