Clinical

Women bear greater costs related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared with men for 2 reasons: they are at greater risk of developing the AD and cost Medicare and Medicaid more, and they are more likely to provide informal, unpaid care to family members with AD.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has urged Congress to recognize the impact of barriers to interoperability of electronic health records on patient outcomes.

The American Journal of Managed Care spoke with Bruce J. Gould, MD, medical director of Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers on the impact of the 340B drug pricing program on private oncology practices.

Current care areas with gaps in measurement and the next generation of performance measures, according to Rebecca Snead, RPh, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and a member of the board of directors for the Pharmacy Quality Alliance.

The study, published in the journal Cancer, found that non-biological factors are as important as biological variables in shaping outcomes in young patients with leukemia.

The ability to charge increasingly higher prices for drugs that already have competition on the market is stifling innovation and wasting resources and human subjects, according to Peter Bach, MD, MAPP, director of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Center for Health Policy and Outcomes.

Healthcare policy experts gathered in Washington, DC, to discuss access, cost, and the definition of value in oncology care.

The top stories in managed care this week include value-based pricing of the new PCSK9 inhibitors, CMS unveiled a new health equity plan for Medicare, and the American Medical Association released analyses on proposed health insurance mergers.

An abstract presented at the 16th World Conference on Lung Cancer presented results from a study that monitored irAEs resulting from treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Avoidable risk factors to health are taking a growing toll on global health, according to an analysis of 79 risks in 188 countries. The results were published in The Lancet.

Treatment for high blood pressure should be more aggressive with a target lower than commonly recommended by guidelines, according to a study from the National Institutes of Health.

Presented at the ongoing World Conference on Lung Cancer, the trial has identified 7 actionable genomic alterations in lung cancer patients under 40 years of age.

Kim Thiboldeaux, chief executive officer of the Cancer Support Community, discusses the importance of providing strong community support, the misconceptions of clinical trials, and creating a tailored care plan.

A draft report on the value-based price benchmark for the newly approved PCSK9 inhibitors for lowering bad cholesterol found that Repatha and Praluent should cost approximately 85% less than their list prices.

At the end of CMS' comment period, the American Society of Clinical Oncology submitted its comments and recommendations for the proposed changes.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System saved $7 million on screening colonoscopies during a 2-year period following implementation of reference pricing.

The drug, approved in Japan last year, had been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA.

CMS has released a new plan to address health equity in Medicare, which includes 6 priority areas aimed at reducing health disparities over the next 4 years.

With a new dosing schedule, low toxicity and a PD-L1 expression-driven response was observed.

With the comment period ending today, the proposed CMS cuts to radiation oncology reimbursement rates might have a substantial impact on community treatment centers.

Cancer drug cost troubles in the UK prompt NHS to slash its list of approved-for-use oncology products.

For individuals who have not made the sort of risk-averse decisions in their lives that lead to better jobs and wealth accumulation, making treatment decisions after a cancer diagnosis can be very difficult, said Amy Davidoff, PhD, MS, senior research scientist in public health at the Yale School of Public Health

Urologists analyzing data from prostate cancer patients suggest wait and watch in well-informed low-risk prostate cancer patients.

Predictive modeling determined that the needle exchange in Washington, DC, prevented 120 new cases of HIV in 2 years, according to researchers.

The top managed care news this week included draft guidance to reign in the controversial 340B drug program and the top pharmacy benefit managers made it clear they are looking for price discounts for the PCSK9 inhibitors.