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Survival in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia could be significantly influenced by their family’s socioeconomic status, a new study published in Pediatric Blood and Cancer has found.

A national survey of physicians found strong support for key policies that could help prevent opioid misuse, but report encountering barriers.

A healthcare delivery model that utilizes home visits and that is interdisciplinary and team-based has been shown to improve care while controlling costs for patients with complex needs

A survey of 54 hospitals from 6 major metropolitan areas found that consumers are still encountering difficulties when trying to obtain price estimates for routine hospital procedures.

The full slides from the 2015 Patient-Centered Diabetes Care keynote speech, where Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, discussed new care models being implemented to improve patient health in the long term.

BMJ's study found no link bewteen incretin-based drugs and pancreatic cancer but said because of the latency of the cancer, adverse effects would have to be watched.

While smart cards would stop about 20% of fraudulent act, it wouldn't catch acts in which providers or beneficiaries are complicit, such as billing for unnecessary services.

A new report by the American Cancer Society points to disparities in cancer survival between whites and blacks for certain cancers, although the reasons for these differences remain unconfirmed.

What we're reading, February 23, 2016: drug spending for CVS health plans slowed from 11.8% to 5%; CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, talks Zika virus; and an investigation into the HealthCare.gov launch found widespread mismanagement.

To improve access for beneficiaries, CMS has proposed a plan to increase the availability of preferred cost-sharing pharmacies in Medicare.

The online tool includes worksheets for the most commonly used cancer treatment protocols that care providers can directly access through the electronic health record.

The supplemental new drug application submitted by Pfizer, the drug's manufacturer, included phase 3 results from the PALOMA-3 trial.

Risk adjustment for social determinants of health could reduce penalties to children’s hospitals for patient factors that are beyond their control, according to the results of a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Pollution is believed to create insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, which leads to obesity and diabetes.

Lower-income consumers can encounter a lot of difficulties if they end up in a high-deductible plan paired with a health savings account, explained Lydia Mitts, senior policy analyst at Families USA.

The state's first-of-its-kind model for delivering Medicaid creates brings managed care concepts without commercial insurers to the one of the nation's poorest markets.

The American Journal of Managed Care's co-editor-in-chief A. Mark Fendrick, MD, director of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID), is testifying on how the principles of VBID and clinical nuance can contribute to healthcare reform in the US military health system.

What we're reading, February 22, 2016: new legislation proposes placing a 3-year moratorium on advertising newly approved drugs; the prevalence and incidence of stroke among young adults has increased significantly; and more women with breast cancer are choosing outpatient mastectomies.

Support from at least 60 senators during today's procedural vote will ensure a final confirmation vote for Robert Califf, MD, likely Tuesday.

CMS proposes increasing payments to Medicare Advantage plans by an average of 1.35% in 2017 in contrast to proposed cuts in recent years.

A report card evaluating the healthcare being provided to the aging US population found that the use of evidence-based practices widely varies across the country.

A review of evidence of the clinical safety and efficacy of Zepatier found that the hepatitis C virus treatment appears to have a less risky safety profile than Sovaldi and a similar safety profile as Harvoni.

Adult obesity increased to 28% of the US population in 2015 and the diabetes rate also climbed to 11.4%. Adults who are obese are 4.7 times more likely to be diabetic compared with adults with a normal weight

For independent primary practices considering transitioning into a medical home, substantial costs to make the transition may outweigh the benefits, according to a recent RAND study.

This week's top managed care stories included the release of 7 core sets of quality measures, more evidence that value-based insurance design works to lower costs, and the FDA assigns breakthrough designation to AstraZeneca's PD-L1 inhibitor.

Two studies presented at the ongoing 2016 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium report on financial hurdles faced by patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer that result in lifestyle modifications, advanced disease, and worse outcomes.

At a State House press conference, critics of OMNIA highlight early problems, with a physician describing how the tiered health plan is disrupting existing patient-centered medical homes.

The scientists on the panel will advise JDRF on policy and research priorities as the organization supports major initiatives to cure type 1 diabetes or manage the disease.

Population health, healthcare value, innovations in healthcare, cost of care-these were just some of the topics discussed at the meeting.

What we're reading, February 19, 2016: long-term hospice care is weighing on Medicare; both the pope and the World Health Organization suggest women in Zika infected countries have access to contraception; and Texas health official steps down after co-authoring study on Planned Parenthood.