Policy

A new federal rule will enable thousands of immigrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to obtain health care through the Affordable Care Act; a forthcoming CMS rule is expected to lower home-based care wait times and raise caregiver wages; the HHS Office for Civil Rights has finalized 2 rules that strengthen the ACA’s health care discrimination ban.

About 5000 leaders in health economics and outcomes research will gather for the 2024 meeting, which has the theme, "HEOR: A Transformative Force for Whole Health.”

Two bird flu vaccines could be available within weeks; Walmart Health struggles to expand in retail health care services; repeal of 1864 law preserves abortion access in Arizona.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued letters to 10 companies to warn them that certain drug patents were improperly listed; the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin testing ground beef for bird flu particles; rural Americans are more likely to die early from 1 of the 5 leading causes of death than those who live in urban areas.

The USPSTF lowered the recommended starting age for mammograms from 50 to 40 years, citing moderate benefits for early detection in this age group. Disparities persist, especially for Black women, highlighting the need for improved access to health care and social support.

Researchers also estimated that more than 700,000 Americans with diabetes could lose insurance coverage if these proposed retractions are put into place, with some new policies already in effect.

Makers of medical tests will have about 4 years to show the FDA that their new offerings deliver accurate results; after previously decreasing for 27 years, US tuberculosis (TB) cases increased every year since 2020; a US district judge rejected a challenge by Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson to the Medicare drug price negotiation program.

Third-party tracking technologies are at the heart of a new analysis, which investigated if hospital websites accurately disclose how they transmit user information to third parties.

Just as it is important for retail analysts to understand the choices their customers make and why they may choose not to purchase a specific item, so is it important for the specialty pharmacy industry to understand the actions of prescribers and how the often inefficient prior authorization process affects patient outcomes.

Payer coverage of biosimilars is always shifting as new ones come to market, explained Tasmina Hydery, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, associate director in digital solutions, Cencora.

A new court ruling has the future use of skinny labels in question, but skinny-label generics have saved Medicare a lot of money over 5 years.

End of reporting mandate signals shift in real-time tracking of airborne pathogens; high rates of psychiatric conditions seen among patients with long COVID; new rule reinforces notification requirements for digital health records and apps.

The 340B hospitals not receiving an offsetting lump-sum payment from CMS following 2018-2022 cuts later ruled unlawful are disproportionately rural, publicly owned, and nonacademic, according to a new study.

During their session at Asembia’s AXS24, Sarah Butler and Lindsay Greenleaf of ADVI Health will examine the current status of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and future considerations in health care in the context of the upcoming presidential election.

Coverage from the Community Oncology Alliance Community Oncology Conference, held April 4-5, 2024, in Orlando, Florida.

Researchers addressed the impact of long-term coverage of telemedicine, following concerns that it will increase spending and hurt health care quality.

Julie Patterson, PharmD, PhD, senior director of research at the National Pharmaceutical Council, spoke to the ways in which possible unintended effects of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) could impact patients.

The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) vote to ban most employers from issuing and enforcing noncompete clauses could have varying impacts on the health care workforce; federal regulators vastly under-enforced antitrust laws in the hospital sector during the last 2 decades, resulting in increased health costs; the FDA recently found genetic evidence of the H5N1 bird flu virus in pasteurized commercially purchased milk.

New health privacy rules aim to protect patients and providers in an evolving abortion landscape; some physicians express concerns about efficacy, risks, and entrenched beliefs in treating Alzheimer disease; CMS addresses longstanding staffing deficits in nursing homes.

Moyle v United States centers on whether emergency medical law supersedes state abortion laws; Change Healthcare’s CEO will testify regarding the cyberattack’s impact; public health officials warn of potential threat as bird flu virus spreads in mammals.

Leslie Fish, PharmD, senior vice president of pharmacy at IDP Analytics, LLC, reflects on the future of biosimilars and the impact they will have on managed care pharmacy settings to improve patient access to medications.

The Biden administration recently launched the Global Health Security Strategy, a new effort to combat the spread of infectious diseases; lawmakers zeroed in on the risks of massive consolidation in health care during the first congressional hearing on the Change Healthcare hack; the FDA recently announced the recall of a pair of heart devices linked to numerous deaths and injuries.

News from Strategic Alliance Partners of The American Journal of Managed Care.