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The lag time between the end of a performance period in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) and the release of the full report from CMS, represents a challenge for practices looking to improve.

A study published this week suggests that some anticancer treatments speed up the biological aging process, and this aging effect could be linked to the cognitive decline experienced by patients undergoing cancer treatment.

A generic competitor to the EpiPen will not cost any less than the version that is already on the market; a new service from Amazon will use machine learning to pull key information from patient records; a new report from the European Commission has noted that generic and biosimilar products will be key to curbing wasteful spending in healthcare.

CMS is moving home health agencies away from a volume-based payment model and to a new value-based payment system. The Patient-Driven Groupings Model would focus on patient needs and rely more heavily on patient characteristics in order to pay for home health services.

According to a new study, prior migraine history is associated with brain tumors. While associated with both sexes, the risk is higher among men than women.

Cognitive behavioral therapy delivered by respiratory nurses can reduce anxiety and is cost-effective in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Patients in low-income countries receive similar antenatal care coverage as patients in high-income countries. However, they receive inequitable quality of antenatal care for 3 essential services: blood pressure monitoring, urine and blood tests, according to a study published in Lancet Global Health.

While team-based approaches to primary care transformation provide benefit to patients with chronic illness by reducing acute care utilization, it may lead to higher use among healthier patients.

Back pain is a leading cause of disability, and the proportion of adults over age 65 who have back pain is increasing in the United States, particularly among women. Now, research has demonstrated that persistent back pain is also linked with an increased risk of death in older women.

CMS said Monday it is easing restrictions on how Medicare Part D manages the 6 protected drug classes that must be included in those plans, is taking action on pharmacy rebates, and is allowing step therapy in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, all in an effort to force lower drug prices.

FDA has recently approved 2 new treatments for patients age 75 and older who are newly diagnosed with AML and have other chronic health conditions or diseases that may mean they cannot use intensive chemotherapy.

Findings showed that children in primary care who received guidance on managing their weight over a year did as well as those who received treatment in major research clinics. The results are encouraging, given the rise in obesity around the globe.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been reported to be associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) in 5% to 48% of MPN patients. Now, authors of the largest PH study in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative MPN have concluded that the prevalence of PH is lower than has been previously reported.

To better understand the characteristics of patients with chronic kidney disease who require hemodialysis or renal transplant, researchers in Brazil evaluated the prevalence of resistance-associated substitutions to direct-acting antivirals in this population who also carry the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Fibroblasts play a role in the spread of cancer, and a recent study showed that breast tumors can boost their growth by recruiting bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stromal cells to primary breast tumors

HCR ManorCare, the second-largest nursing-home chain, exposed its roughly 25,000 patients to increasing health risks in the 5 years preceding its bankruptcy; Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, is spreading outside of healthcare settings like hospitals and nursing homes and scientists are not exactly sure why; the US government released new autism numbers.

CD7 gene-edited chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells target CD7-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells while sparing myeloid and erythroid cells and minimizing toxicity, according to the results of a recent study.

Novo Nordisk plans to seek FDA approval for the GLP-1 receptor agonist in the first half of 2019.

There are 5 FDA-approved monoclonal antibody treatments that affect the pathways involved in either the allergic or type 2 inflammatory phenotypes of asthma, and these 5 drugs are the focus of a new report from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER).

Recent research indicates that there are age-associated gender differences seen in the disease burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), with younger women more severely affected.

Rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis increase the risk of preterm delivery (PTD) in pregnant women. Additionally, treatment with corticosteroid can lead to a 2- to 5-fold increased risk of PTD in both groups, independent of disease activity.

A population-based study in Taiwan examined whether or not vitamin D or bisphosphonates affect the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

AMT-061, an AAV5 vector containing factor IX (FIX)-Padua variant, has been shown to increase FIX activity to threshold FIX levels sufficient to significantly reduce the risk of bleeding events without the risk of adverse immune reactions.

Chronic diseases remain a significant challenge for older Americans, and Humana is using a holistic approach, leveraging value-based reimbursement models, to improve health outcomes and quality measures for the insurer’s Medicare Advantage (MA) members, according to a new Humana report, “The Intersection of Health + Care.”

The British Society for Haematology has released a new updated guideline that offers practical guidance for the management of specific situations and complications of polycythemia vera and outlines management of the diverse types of secondary erythrocytosis.

Despite the increasing focus on the concept of “value” in healthcare, there is lack of consensus on a definition of value. While patient-centricity has been a steady refrain in healthcare, we question whether the values, needs, and preferences of patients have been meaningfully incorporated into value assessments thus far.

This week, the top managed care news included HHS Secretary Alex Azar hinting that the government may get more involved in addressing social needs impacting health; work rules in Arkansas cost thousands their Medicaid coverage; research finds a shorter course of hepatitis C treatment may be just as effective as the full course of treatment.