Clinical

A combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir (Epclusa) that is effective against all 6 major forms of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has received the FDA’s consent to market.

What we're reading, June 28, 2016: Illinois approves Aetna-Humana merger; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care reaches value-based payment agreements with Novartis and Eli Lilly; and the Supreme Court struck down key aspects of the Texas abortion law.

The rising cost of drugs is a cause for concern among various stakeholders in healthcare, some of who worry that staying on the current trajectory will “break the bank,” said panelists during a session at the ISPOR Annual Meeting.

Despite recommendations and the passage of legislation, there is little evidence that the quality of behavioral health has improved significantly over the last 10 years in the United States.

Exposure of patients to the dangers of certain diagnostic equipment can have unwanted long-term effects, which healthcare providers may be underestimating, according to research conducted at the University of Saskatchewan.

Bringing up palliative care is inherently difficult for providers, because it means bringing up death and dying, said Toby C. Campbell, MD, MSCI, associate professor of medicine, hematology-oncology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine has established that, at least in the case of lymphoma, a positron emission tomography (PET) scan can spare the patients serious side effects of chemotherapy.

What we're reading, June 23, 2016: Medicare's fund will be insolvent 2 years earlier than estimated last year; nearly 1 in 3 Medicare beneficiaries received an opioid prescription in 2015; House Republicans' health plan calls for greater use of value-based insurance design; and the Democrats urge the Department of Justice to block Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana mergers.

Despite known mental health disparities on the basis of sexual orientation and nonbinary gender identification, researchers are not reporting sexual orientation and transgender identities of study subjects in psychotherapy outcome studies for anxiety and depression.

A scoping document explaining the review process to evaluate existing treatment options for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been released by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER).

At The Community Oncology Conference: Innovation in Cancer Care, oncologists discussed how their practices are coping with the transition toward quality- and value-based reimbursement.

Representatives from 3 clinics that successfully participated in the accreditation process for an Oncology Medical Home, participated on a panel at The Community Oncology Conference: Innovation in Cancer Care.

What we're reading, June 21, 2016: potential Zika virus vaccine to be tested in humans; California regulator approved the potential merger between Aetna and Humana; and 5 states will be the testing ground for a new Medicare initiative to reduce fraud.

A study assessed the reliability of a 12-gene Recurrence Score test to reveal the natural course of recurrence among Japanese patients with stage II and III colon cancer who have undergone surgery but not received any adjuvant chemotherapy.

If the announcement by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis holds true, biosimilars that the company plans to launch over the next 4 years could create a significant dent in the sales of 5 blockbuster molecules in the oncology and immunology space.

Improving the healthcare services that an organization provides can be challenging unless one gathers information on the service, collates it, improves on it, and implements the changes in the field. A panel of experts invited by Evidence-Based Oncology discussed processes that help identify the most valuable metrics and the importance of making them relevant for use in the clinic.

What we're reading, June 20, 2016: employers are cutting back on wellness benefits; new apps and websites provide birth control prescriptions to women; and Novartis pledges to triple the number of biosimilar drugs on the market by 2020.

Lee Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, chief of Division of Hematology Oncology and professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, discusses side effects seen with PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors as well as the recent USPSTF screening recommendations for breast cancer.

Researchers at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that increases in unemployment in California during the Great Recession were associated with an increased risk for weight gain among 1.7 million public school children in the state.

The healthcare ecosystem can be a very complex place, and it’s important to remember that a patient sits at the center, explained David M. Cordani, president and CEO of Cigna Corp., during a general session on the second day of America’s Health Insurance Plans’ Institute & Expo.

HHS recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cuba’s Public Ministry of Health on June 13, marking a historic moment for both countries since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations in 2015.

This week, the top stories in managed care included study results presented at the 76th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association from the SWITCH and LEADER trials, a recommendation for a smarter way to screen for prostate cancer, and researchers found physicians underutilize medications to treat opioid addiction.

Growing antibiotic resistance is a significant global problem. But steps are being taken to apply brakes on the rise of "superbugs."

Advances in cancer treatment provide more options for patients but add complexity to treatment decisions. HealthHelp’s Integrative Oncology program coordinates care to maximize efficiency and ensure optimal outcomes for cancer patients.

What we're reading, June 17, 2016: California's insurance commissioner comes out in opposition of the merger between Anthem and Cigna; local governments push for drug makers to pay for drug take-back programs; and the CDC releases numbers of Zika-related birth defects in the United States.