Clinical

A literature review by researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center has identified a potential use of the cell cycle inhibitor palbociclib in a variety of cancers.

Studies that provided updates on new drug trials, sessions on value-based care, and the cost of healthcare, were most popular among readers of The American Journal of Managed Care.

What we're reading, December 28, 2015: patients fight for Medicaid coverage of expensive hepatitis C treatment, Express Scripts develops programs to protect insurer's from pricey new drugs, and Republicans divided over Medicaid expansion.

Historically, the biggest barrier to enrolling diverse populations in clinical trials has been a lack of establishing trusting relationships between researchers and communities and their residents, explained C. Daniel Mullins, PhD, professor in the Pharmaceutical Health Services Research Department at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.

This week The American Journal of Managed Care offers a special episode of highlights from the American Society of Hematology's annual meeting, including sessions on newly approved treatments, how the move to pay-for-performance affects hematologists, and the increasing role of patient-reported outcomes.

In addition to being responsible for longer hospital stays and readmissions, Clostridium difficile is increases hospital costs by 40%, according to a new study conducted by Premier, Inc.

Most senior healthcare executives agreed that a healthcare system that embraces transparency will produce safer care and better outcomes, but a minority are happy with the current degree of transparency in their organization.

Emil Chiauzzi, PhD, research director, client services at PatientsLikeMe, sat down for an interview at the ISPOR 20th Annual International Meeting to discuss using social media for patient engagement and improving the relationships between researchers and patients.

What we're reading, December 25, 2015: a drug that is currently free could get very costly; this year's flu season is expected to be mild; and before they went on recess, members of Congress introduced a number of healthcare-related bills.

Top 10 videos from The American Journal of Managed Care's Summit and Insight programs.

Opioid prescribing patterns are far less skewed than initially thought. New research has found that most opioid prescriptions are actually distributed by the broad population of US general practitioners.

The rising cost of drugs was in the spotlight in 2015, and the manuscripts in The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits highlights the growing concerns of the healthcare industry in regards to rising expenditures.

What we're reading, December 24, 2015: more than half of Affordable Care Act co-ops will be closed by the end of 2015, but this could have been avoided; 5 senators are pressing CMS for information on containing drug costs; and a task force does not recommend screening all teens and children for high cholesterol.

Although rivaroxaban was approved by the FDA in 2012, there has remained a knowledge gap about how it works with cancer patients. A recent study found that the therapy is safe and effective when used among patients with cancer.

What we're reading, December 23, 2015: CMS releases data on the most expensive Medicare drugs, while HHS reports strong enrollment numbers on HealthCare.gov, and Hillary Clinton outlines a plan to spend $20 billion on Alzheimer's disease research.

Despite the fact that warfarin is more easily reversible, bleeding complications with the therapy are associated with longer stays in the hospital and higher mortality than dabigatran and rivaroxaban.

Research on the post-marketing surveillance of rivaroxaban found that the drug was as safe as determined from the results of the anticoagulant’s randomized controlled trial.

What we're reading, December 22, 2015: experts recommend using statins in adults between the ages of 40 years and 75 years; Republicans and Democrats are equally concerned about rising healthcare costs; and Martin Shkreli now fired as CEO of a second company.

A new study finds that Medicare recipients can prevent hospital admissions if they seek medical assessment from clinical home visits, which increase the number of visits to the doctors while reducing the costs of healthcare because of treatment in less-costly sites.

Patients with atrial fibrillation and renal disease who were treated with rivaroxaban (Xarelto) had less of a risk of fatal bleeding, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Session.

Physicians are sticking with what they know when it comes to prescribing treatment for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Researchers found that the most common treatment remains parenteral anticoagulant with warfarin despite the arrival of a the new treatment option rivaroxaban.

Nearly half of insured American adults are unaware that they should have an annual medical check-up and are ignorant to the fact that their insurance covers the annual check-up and there is no cost out-of-pocket associated with it.

Using rivaroxaban in a patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation can reduce rates of stroke and major bleeding, according to the result of the XANTUS study.

Pembrolizumab has been approved as first-line treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

Results of an analysis of 2012 cancer incidence and survival from various cancer registries, published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, indicates reduced incidence of overall cancer across the United States.

All-cause mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is improved by a high level of continuity of care.

What we're reading, December 17, 2015: Congress is expected to pass a spending plan that includes 3 changes to the Affordable Care Act; a new analysis estimates 2016 premiums for marketplace plans will increase 11%; and one-third of Americans die from cardiovascular disease.

A study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology predicts financial stress on Medicare Part D beneficiaries on oral anticancer medicines, even after the expected closing of the donut hole in 2020.

Martin Shkreli, Turing CEO, was arrested on fraud related to his time as a hedge fund manager, not his recent price gouging of Daraprim.

NICE rejects promising oncology agents once again, citing high drug cost.