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Competing breast cancer tests vie for attention from clinicians and payers at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

A large coalition of medical associations, patient advocacy groups, drug companies, and others sent a letter to Congress Monday asking that they intervene on a CMS plan to use an index based on drug prices in other countries to determine reimbursement for Part B therapies, saying it would have a negative effect on the elderly and people with disabilities.

According to a study results presented at the 60th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition, the use of opioid medications for pain control in sickle cell disease (SCD) is relatively safe, and there has been no associated increase in hospital SCD mortality.

The authors of a study conducted in China assessed nearly 2000 women who were to identify whether premature birth leads to variability in long-term systolic blood pressure.

Nine organizations representing health insurance companies, consumers, and businesses announced Monday that they support the concept of federal legislation to protect patients from receiving surprise medical bills.

Battle lines are being drawn between establishment Democrats and progressive liberals in Congress over the idea of single-payer healthcare; an antitrust lawsuit filed in 2016 by states over 2 generic drugs has expanded into an investigation of alleged price-fixing involving at least 16 companies and 300 drugs; HHS will consider whether to approve work requirements for Medicaid expansion in Virginia.

While the Oncology Care Model is likely not a sustainable mode for oncology care, it will probably inform what payment structure comes next.

Instead of the promised benefit—patients paying less for quality care—horizontal mergers can actually cost consumers more. However, vertical mergers have the potential to create a new, profitable business model that can benefit consumers.

Lifestyle factors like exercise, meditation, and alcohol use were inversely associated with depression risk, while smoking significantly predicted depression.

ELOQUENT-3 trial results found that adding elotuzumab to pomalidomide and dexamethasone improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall response rate in patients with multiple myeloma that had relapsed from or were refractory to (R/R) lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor.

A next generation DNA sequencing study offers a streamlined protocol that integrates the genomic portrait of pathogen, microbiome, and host transcriptome for a more accurate diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections.

BioNTech AG, a drug developer that specializes in cancer immunotherapies, announced last month new results from a clinical performance evaluation study of a molecular in vitro diagnostic test for quantitative detection of mRNA expression of certain genes.

Can virtual reality help prevent falls in elderly patients? A small study suggests that it can.

Depression and anxiety can be present with cognitive impairment in migraine, but neither can completely explain it.

A batch of studies appearing in recent months have linked Medicaid expansion with lower death rates in renal failure, more efforts to quit smoking, and earlier detection of cancer. There are mixed outcomes in chronic disease, but an important clinical trial in Oregon shows that over the long haul, Medicaid expansion makes a difference.

A literatur survey concludes that the efficacy of recombinant activated factor VII administered by continuous infusion (rFVIIa CI) in patients with congenital hemophilia with inhibitors or congenital factor VII deficiency undergoing surgery and during bleeding episodes appears to be high and comparable to that of rFVIIa delivered by bolus injection.

A recent study aimed to identify the characteristics of patients who demonstrate the greatest exacerbation risk reduction with roflumilast, finding that the medication is most successful in patients with prior hospitalization, greater exacerbation frequency, and higher baseline blood eosinophil count.

Patients who visit the emergency department for pain are often asked to categorize their pain level using a visual scale of numbered faces. However, a recent study suggests the efficacy of a more empirical approach, through the use of an electroencephalography (EEG)-based test, that would be beneficial for both patients and physicians.

Recently, 6 European organizations appealed a European Patent Office (EPO) decision to uphold Gilead Science’s patent on the hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir, sold as Sovaldi.

December 2-8, 2018, marks the annual National Influenza Vaccination Week. Here are 5 things to know about getting your flu shot.

CMS said Friday that it issued a final rule about insurer risk-adjustment payments for 2018, saying it wanted to provide consistency while the outcome of a court case about the issue is still in play.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive neurological disease that requires timely management, and a panel of neurologists has developed an internationally applicable standard of care for timely management in patients with MS.

According to a study presented at the 60th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition, held December 1-4 in San Diego, California, a World Health Organization–defined diagnosis of primary myelofibrosis may help better identify patients who may need strict monitoring during treatment with ruxolitinib.

An investigation in South Dakata has found that dozens of patients have died needlessly due to errors made in Indian Health Service (HIS) facilties in the state; a recent case of a Michigan woman resorting to crowdfunding to pay for post-transplant care in order to get on an organ transplant list sparked outrage, but requiring proof of payment for organ transplants and post-operative care is common; a judge in Maine denied a request by the outgoing GOP Governor Paul LePage to stay an order that the state implement Medicaid expansion, which was approved by voters last year.

In a new commentary, scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) assert that engaging men in HIV prevention and care is essential for ending the HIV pandemic.

Just because a patient nods and does not ask any questions during a health encounter, does not mean that patient truly understands the information that was communicated. Providers need to examine how they are delivering that information, what terminology they are using, and whether they are checking patients truly understand what they were told.

This week, the top managed care news included a CDC report that found life expectancy in the United States declined again; telemedicine use among physicians remains low; another study added to the debate over who should take statins.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the healthcare and mainstream press.

A study published in the European Respiratory Journal suggests that in addition to elevated blood eosinophil counts, baseline clinical factors can help identify patients who would potentially be responsive to benralizumab (Fasenra), among patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma with eosinophilic inflammation.

CMS actuaries reported Thursday that overall national healthcare spending growth slowed for the second year in a row, due to slower spending growth in every area: hospital care, physician and clinical services, and retail prescription drugs. The slower pace also stemmed from the expanded coverage effects of the Affordable Care Act taking root in 2014 and 2015 and then falling off, as well as the decrease in usage of hepatitis C prescription drugs.