Clinical

In his blog, a University of Chicago economist says that while non-adherence is a major source of waste in US healthcare-totaling approximately 2.3% of GDP-achieving the optimal level of adherence to treatments is more nuanced than strictly raising adherence rates.

Based on their analysis of a mail-in questionnaire, researchers in Canada found that parents who had their daughters vaccinated differed from those who did not do so in perceived susceptibility to the disease, benefits and barriers of the vaccine, and cues to action.

In this Health Affairs blog, experts provide examples of payment reform in the emergency department that'd move away from the traditional fee-for-service, while at the same time improving outcomes at a lower cost.

Carolinas HealthCare System monitors ICUs in 10 of its hospitals from a command center near Charlotte. The command center is staffed 24/7 with a rotating crew of 7 to 9 nurses and doctors who specialize in critical care.

In collaborations with 14 cancer centers throughout the country, IBM will apply Watson Genomic Analytics, a cloud-based service, to implement evidence-based treatment decisions in oncology.

Amarin's action has initiated a debate on whether the FDA's authority over ensuring the safety and efficacy is being side-stepped.

The appeals court decision has ensured that Novartis cannot bring its biosimilar Zarxio (filgrastim), which provides immune support to cancer patients, to the market at least till June 3.

Johnson & Johnson will ask an independent panel to recommend who gets a breakthrough drug that's still under development.

Since the introduction of the Oncology Care Model, oncologists have raised numerous questions as they weigh whether to apply for participation.

The study conducted by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and published in JAMA Oncology, found a siginificant increase in progression-free survival in men who initiated statin therapy along with androgen deprivation for their prostate cancer.

Lancet editors criticized the "unacceptably slow" global response to rising rates of childhood obesity.

Among other topics, panelists discussed the connection between mental health and diabetes, and the need to treat these conditions together.

FDA approves a key combination therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus, a device to help patients battle obesity, and another indication for Lucentis.

The pharmaceutical industry has learnt its lesson from the pushback that Gilead faced over the price of its hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi. The lack of a price discussion prior to the introduction of the regimen washed-out the excitement over a "cure" for the disease.

Earlier diagnosis, longer treatment duration, and increased effectiveness of cancer therapies all contributed to the constantly rising spending levels for these medicines.

Saxenda was approved in December 2014 to treat obesity, giving physicians another option for patients who are overweight and battling diabetes. Experts say payers need to take obesity as seriously as other conditions when making decisions about covering therapies.

The meta-analysis in Annals of Internal Medicine found that small doses of exercise were not enough to offset the effects of long periods of sitting on all-cause mortality and chronic disease, including diabetes.

Joslin Diabetes Center has earned the highest level of recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, which cited the center's strengths in communication, access, and coordination of care in the citation for a Patient-Centered Specialty Practice.

Several recent studies have singled out too much TV watching as being associated with a higher risk of all cause mortality and a string of health problems, from diabetes and obesity to colorectal cancer.

CMS' decision to pay primary care physicians to coordinate for seniors with multiple chronic conditions cannot soon enough, if a study in Clinical Diabetes is any sign.

The argument for cost-effectiveness has become important in the care of patients with diabetes and other comorbidities, as patients typically take multiple medications, each with its own cost-both to the payer and to the patient in the form of a co-pay-as well as some side effects.

A study published in JAMA Surgery compared long-term weight loss and other outcomes, along with adverse effects, of different surgical methods for weight loss.

A study published in in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that maintaining electronic health records for ischemic stroke patients did not improve health outcomes or care quality in the 1236 hospitals evaluated between 2007 and 2010.

Published in the journal Pediatrics, the study found that the length of stay was reduced by 50% following staff training in the assessment of symptoms of neonatal abstinence syndrome along with implementation of standardized intervention protocols.

The medication adherence problem is emblematic of the larger coordinated care issue in the US healthcare system, according to Trishan Panch, MBBS, MPH, chief medical officer at Wellframe.

Real-world studies of SGLT2 inhibitors show that this new class of drugs for type 2 diabetes has lowered A1C more than rivals. Patients lose more weight than with other oral therapies, and the benefit of controlling hypertension may make it possible for some patients to stop taking other drugs.

The latest Joint National Committee guidelines are based on 27 large clinical trials concerning hypertension management. These trials are often discussed in isolation, but their data have never been aggregated into a single source.

California's policies to limit what kinds of foods and beverages can be sold alongside meals regulated by the National School Lunch Program are among the strictest in the nation. The rules appear to have helped stabilize and, in some areas, reverse childhood obesity trends.

Patient access, supply chain, adherence, and comorbidities are only a few of the challenges associated with oral anticancer agents, which are included distributed by specialty pharmacies.