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Here are 5 interesting findings from the July 2019 issue of AJMC®.

Top professionals in neurology will convene in New York City for the first annual International Congress on the Future of Neurology to discuss the latest data and best practices to better inform clinical decision making. The meeting will be held September 27-28 at the InterContinental New York Times Square.

Providers and facilities should be exploring communication platforms that support secure messaging, social media, and telehealth capabilities, the better to communicate with patients in their preferred manner.

In a study presented at the British Association of Dermatologists’ 99th Annual Meeting in Liverpool, United Kingdom, July 2-4, 2019, researchers from the University of Manchester and the Salford Royal National Health Service Foundation Trust reported on an effort to assess evidence on the risk of cancer in patients with psoriasis. They found that there are a number of site-specific cancers for which patients with psoriasis are at elevated risk.

The Trump administration will not give Utah or other states federal funding to partially expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act; if a Medicare for all system operates the same way as traditional Medicare, the program would be “wastefully expensive,” authors warn; the creator of the widely used screening test to screen for early signs of cognitive decline is insisting on training for those who administer it.

The study found that the advantage was due to factors that affect hospital safety, which were present before affiliation and increased afterward.

A recent study used a cross-sectional analysis of a large cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) to investigate the relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and AF to identify mediators of increased vascular risk; they found that the risk of cardiovascular complications is higher for patients with AF who also have COPD than it is for patients without COPD.

Therapeutic drug monitoring that includes the measurement of trough concentrations and anti-drug antibodies, along with clinical response, is a tool for clinical decision making.

A recently study of rimegepant, an investigational oral calcitonin gene–related peptide receptor (CGRP) blocker for migraine, resulted in a higher percentage of patients relieved of pain over placebo.

CMS is considering hosptial-acquired acute kidney injury as a quality measure, and the study offers a model using electronic health records that could help predict imminent risk of this condition using readily available laboratory values.

Researchers said the results demonstrate the effectiveness of Botox as well as emphasize the importance of real-world data and approaches for establishing the efficacy of a treatment for migraine.

This past week saw several pieces of legislation introduced to lower the cost of prescription drug prices. Here are 5 ways patients and providers would be affected by the bills.

Health-related workplace absenteeism may provide additional information about the extent of influenza sickness in the working-age population, a CDC report said.

This week, the top managed care news included bipartisan Senate bills taking aim at drug prices, especially insulin; a study linking payer refusal to pay for proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors with heart attacks and deaths; and a former FDA commissioner visiting The American Journal of Managed Care®.

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

Amid a contentious debate, the Senate Finance Committee voted 19-9 to advance legislation introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, to rein in drug costs in Medicare and Medicaid; a House of Representatives subcommittee accused Juul Labs, maker of the ubiqutious e-cigarette device blamed for a youth vaping epidemic, of targeting children through health promotion activities at about a half dozen schools and summer camps; at their annual meeting this week, governors from around the country are discussing what they will do if a federal appeals court invalidates the Affordable Care Act.

Some cancers, such as breast cancer and leukemia, were well-funded compared with their incidence, mortality, and person-years of life lost, while others, such as gastrointestinal and brain cancers, were all poorly funded.

A new report from the HHS’ Office of the Inspector General praises 20 high-performing accountable care organizations (ACOs) for the strategies they are using in the shift to value-based care.

Results of a study on patients with early-stage Parkinson disease (PD) add to the evidence showing an association between PD and pulmonary function and point to the potential use of respiratory center drive to identify early PD.

President Trump is preparing an executive order that would slash prices on nearly all drugs sold to Medicare; Allergan has recalled certain breast implants following 573 cases of implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma; a study has found 1 in 4 people intend to use antibiotics without a prescription.

Nasal glucagon is seen as a game-changing delivery method to replace the multistep system of mixing powder and liquid with a simple, 1-step spray.

The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was nearly 50% higher among patients with arthritis compared with those without arthritis, even after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, risk behaviors, frequent distress, and asthma status.

The Senate on Tuesday approved funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund through 2090; the FDA is warning a leading marijuana company against illegally selling unapproved products containing cannabidiol (CBD); an implanted HIV drug may someday be able to prevent HIV for up to a year.

A recently published study used linguistic analysis to investigate communication gaps between patients with Parkinson disease and physicians about off periods using a database containing dialogues recorded during regular office visits. Not only did the recordings show 4 specific areas that need improvement, they also showed a care gap between what the physicians thought they did and what actually happened.

The participation in workplace health promotion programs (WHPPs) varies depending on sociodemographics and occupation, suggesting the need for employers to adjust their WHPPs for maximum participation, according to research.

Spearheaded by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, the bipartisan bill would lower out-of-pocket (OOP) costs for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and save the government billions.

The likelihood of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) maintaining their employment status in 2 years can be predicted by their levels of physical disability and executive functioning, but not by other measures of cognition, according to new study findings.

A new study is indicating that microbiota composition in the gut could have implications for treatment response in multiple myeloma.