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This week, the top managed care news included new primary prevention guidelines that could increase the use of some diabetes drugs; the FDA expanded criteria for which patients can take part in clinical trials; a summit on value-based insurance design showed the need for tough conversations with stakeholders.

For SGLT2 inhibitors and a fish oil capsule, there was plenty of good news; for aspirin, not so much. A recap of the American College of Cardiology's 68th Annual Scientific Session, held March 16-18, 2019, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Medicaid work requirements could have a severely negative effect on hospital finances, reducing total revenues, raising uncompensated care costs, and decreasing operating margins.

A report from the Urban Institute examined changes in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace rating regions from 2017 to 2019.

Some states are rethinking how to compensate hospitals for services, using Medicare reimbursement rates as a benchmark to control costs for state employee health plans; reported cases of mumps are on the rise at Temple University in Philadelphia; the Lancet Commission outlines a new plan for worldwide tuberculosis eradication.

OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) showed a sustained reduction in headache-day frequency and significant improvement in quality-of-life measures in patients with chronic migraine followed for 2 years, according to a recent study looking at real-world effects.

If approved the oral form of semaglutide would be the first pill in the GLP-1 receptor agonist class.

In one of his final interviews in his last few weeks as commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, MD, discussed where the FDA stands on its continued push against the tobacco industry as well as what we can expect next from Gottlieb.

The findings show that patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma who had continuous systemic treatment had average monthly emergency department costs that were $100 lower than those with interrupted treatment.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had lower medication adherence when taking 3 inhalers compared with 2, suggesting that reducing the number of inhalers for these patients may improve adherence.

The majority of new HIV infections have been found to be transmitted by individuals who are unaware that they have HIV or by those who know they have HIV but are not receiving treatment to suppress their infection.

The FDA has approved the first drug specifically developed to treat postpartum depression; a new study links frequent and high-potency marijuana use to psychosis; and the Mississippi Senate has passed its heartbeat abortion ban.

Rates of mood disorders and suicide-related outcomes have increased significantly among adolescents and young adults, and the rise of social media may be to blame.

America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and 16 other organizations sent recommendations to Congress this week that they said will protect Americans from surprise medical bills.

In the United States, nearly 50 million Americans suffer from migraine, the majority of whom are between 25 to 55 years of age. The costs of treating this large population have been estimated to be $22 billion annually. A new report, published by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute, found that direct healthcare costs for patients with migraine were estimated at $2571 higher than those for similar patients who don’t experience migraine.

Symptoms of dyspnea in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which were caused by pulmonary hyperinflation, were improved by endobronchial valve treatment.

Ohio has received approval from CMS for its Medicaid work requirements; healthcare data breaches in February compromised data from more than 2 million people; a CDC report found 3 ways that patients try to lower their drug costs.

According to findings from a preliminary study, researchers now believe that multiple sclerosis (MS) may not flare following pregnancy as had long been assumed. The study results will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 71st Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 4-10, 2019.

While Alzheimer disease and other brain diseases are similar and cannot be stopped, it's important that families get the right diagnosis in order to get the best care and plan for the future; daily consumption of eggs has been found to slightly increase the risk of heart disease and early mortality; Maine Governor Janet Mills submitted a bill to allow abortions to be performed by medical professionals besides physicians.

Among the survey’s crucial finding are that value-based contracts are not yet seeing marked success. According to the survey results, 39.8% of respondents said that the majority of value-based relationships within the healthcare market will not contain both upside and downside shared risk for another 3 to 5 years.

Pain catastrophizing does not seem to be associated with chronic migraine in children, according to a recent study.

In a recent survey-based study, researchers analyzed the relationship between symptom burden and incidence of medical disability leave (MDL) among patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, including myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, and essential thrombocythemia.

Gay or bisexual men who participated in community groups were found have a higher awareness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) than those who did not. PrEP has proven to be a successful preventive measure to decrease the spread of HIV.

A compressed vaccine schedule for older adults could help increase uptake and decrease the impact of the influenza vaccine’s waning effectiveness as months go by, but such a schedule would not be beneficial if flu season peaks early or if a compressed schedule results in a decrease in vaccine uptake.

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/reviewing-treatment-data-and-the-role-of-serotonin-in-chronic-idiopathic-constipation

The March issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) featured research on immuno-oncology costs and Medicare Annual Wellness Visits in addition to studies on the issue’s theme of Medicaid. Here are 5 findings from research published in the issue.