Clinical

At the 57th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, oncologists discussed trial data evaluating combination therapies for multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

A retrospective analysis of data from the National Cancer Data Base has found that patients who had cancer surgery at 56 days after the end of combined chemoradiotherapy presented with the best overall survival and successful removal of their residual tumors.

A new law in California mandates hospitals recognize and involve family caregivers during hospital admissions and discharges in order to reduce the barriers for better care.

A study presented at the 2016 Cancer Survivorship Symposium hosted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology has identified significant uncertainty on who is responsible for the care of cancer survivors.

What we're reading, January 20, 2016: UnitedHealth losses on Obamacare health plans steepen; more "skin in the game" doesn't necessarily result in savvier shoppers; and despite recommendations few high school students are tested for HIV.

The results of a new JAMA study underscore the importance of advance care planning in improving the quality of care that patients receive at the end of life.

What we're reading, January 19, 2016: the Obama administration is looking to make it easier for patients to access their medical records; a clinical trial has left 1 brain dead and 4 hospitalized; and hospitals are experimenting with mobile technologies to track patient health at home.

Radiologists and breast cancer specialists disagree with the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation of raising the age of screening mammography to 50 years.

This week in managed care the top stories included the announcement of a initiative to cure cancer, pharmaceutical company executives brushed off public outrage over drug prices, and the president's nominee for FDA commissioner has passed his first hurdle.

Less than 50% of patients diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma between 15 and 39 years of age received recommended care within the first year after their treatment, a Kaiser Permanente study has found.

What we're reading, January 15, 2016: new report finds flaws in how the FDA tracks drugs after they reach the market; rate of uninsured Hispanic children hits historic low; and CVS and New York State make medication that reverses opioid overdose available without prescription.

The National Immunotherapy Coalition has coalesced leaders from large pharma, biotech, academic cancer centers, community oncologists, and a health plan, with the hope of accelerating the development path of next generation immunotherapy in oncology.

What we're reading, January 14, 2016: President Obama proposes extending financial assistance for new states expanding Medicaid eligibility; Hillary Clinton goes hard after Bernie Sanders on single-payer healthcare; and health information exchanges reduce repeated imaging procedures.

The American Journal of Managed Care asked Matthew Banegas, PhD, MPH, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, to comment on his new study published in Health Affairs.

A recent study analyzed screening procedures of community health centers and was able to quantify the screening gap for hepatitis C according to gender and race/ethnicity.

ASCO's Task Force on Clinical Pathways demands greater transparency with pathway development, increased flexibility, and evidence of improved outcomes subsequent to pathway implementation.

Robert Califf, MD, just unanimously won the Senate panel vote for advance his nomination for FDA commissioner. Now the nomination goes to the full Senate.

Grail, which has raised over $100 million from Illumina and the venture capital firm Arch Venture Partners, has also secured investments from Bill Gates, and Jeffrey P. Bezos.

New guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network regarding cardiac toxicity for patients with cancer or cancer survivors should have cancer institutions talking about how to implement cardiac follow-up for patients, said Crystal S. Denlinger, of FOx Chase Cancer Center.

What we're reading, January 11, 2016: drug shortages in the emergency departments have quadrupled since 2008; the government has done little to verify people enrolling after Obamacare deadline under special enrollment categories; and Pfizer increased the prices of 100 drugs.

The latest developments across the healthcare landscape and key upcoming conferences to attend.

Diet and exercise improve exercise ability for patients with common type of heart failure.

A recent safety trial has found a promising new therapy for type 1 diabetes that uses patients’ own regulatory T-cells instead of the usual immunosuppressive drugs to protect beta cells.

Top managed care stories include Sanofi ending its deal to market Afrezza, Aetna cut ties with America's Health Insurance Plans, and a new study found bankruptcy looms large for cancer survivors.

Solid-organ transplants increase the risk of death due to cancer compared with the general population, a study published in JAMA Oncology has found.