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For the eighth year, The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) presents its annual issue focused on health information technology (IT). This year, articles featured insights on health information exchange use, data breach consequences, telemedicine experiences, and more. Here are 5 findings from the research published in the issue.

Amid drug shortages and recalls, at least 3 sellers of a widely used blood-pressure medication, valsartan, have raised prices since a series of safety-related recalls of the drug by other manufacturers; the FDA is attempting to conserve dwindling resources during the government shutdown by prioritizing drug applications; researchers are looking into a possible link between prescription opioids and a birth defect called gastroschisis.

Breast cancer risk estimation models identify women who are at high risk based on a variety of factors, and women who are identified as being at high risk may be able to reduce their chance of breast cancer through preventative measures such as prophylactic surgeries or chemoprevention medications. However, uptake of these preventative treatments varies among racial groups, new research from The Ohio State University finds that racial disparities in healthcare are to blame.

The pharmaceutical industry is looking for answers as the government shutdown, if it lasts longer, could threaten decisions on highly anticipated new drugs; a federal judge in Philadelphia issued a nationwide injunction that prevents the Trump administration from blocking women’s access to free birth control guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act; providers are trying to strike a balance between informing their patients about the Trump administration’s proposed “public charge” rule while not causing undue concern about their immigration status.

The Trump administration is looking to bypass Congress to give block grants to states for Medicaid; US District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr temporarily blocked a Trump administration rule on contraception, which would have allowed virtually any employer to refuse to cover workers' birth control by citing religious or moral objections; Democratic governors propose new ways to expand healthcare.