Policy

Changes in the medication therapy management (MTM) program willl require planning on how to best fund this program in a way that drives medical cost savings.

Many sleep experts want to permanently stay in the standard time zone; Medicare will cover mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists beginning in January; a new Minnesota law requires hospitals to check if patients are eligible for financial assistance before referring medical debt for collections.

This retrospective cohort study of rural hospitals found that Medicare Advantage penetration increased substantially from 2008 to 2019 and was associated with greater hospital sustainability.

The Medical Group Management Association offers an analysis of pending legislation that could help health care practices better serve patients.

The American Cancer Society expanded eligibility for lung cancer screening; experts advised patients to do their research before choosing a plan from the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplaces; Republican-led states partnering with rideshare companies for medical appointment rides.

This report illustrates how providing vital diabetes medications to uninsured patients through a charitable medication distributor improves clinical outcomes.

In a study driven by simulation modeling, researchers elaborated on policies that contribute to widening health disparities affecting Indigenous communities.

A difference-in-differences analysis of health care claims data evaluated excess health care costs in the 12 months following COVID-19 diagnosis among the general and older adult populations.

A report published by the Urban Institute estimates that if the 10 Medicaid nonexpansion states were to implement expansions in 2024, Medicaid enrollment would increase by 5 million people, and 2.3 million fewer individuals would be uninsured

Anshul Mangal, biotech entrepreneur, attorney, CEO, and founder of Project Farma, discusses how supply chain disruptions and the current cancer drug shortage are affecting patients.

Democratic senators urge private insurers fully cover Opill, an OTC contraceptive pill; providers pursue lawsuit against Arizona's abortion rule; a quarter of US medical students contemplate leaving their studies.

The generic drug market focuses on price. However, multiple generic metformin drugs have been recalled due to poor drug quality. The authors examine price and quality after these recalls.

Federal actuaries have projected what they believe to be health care spending through 2030-2031 in 9 important areas.

Although all legislation is currently on hold in Congress, there are important actions under consideration for pharmacy, including digital therapeutics, access to care, and health care disparities.

The number of suicides among US military members and their families slightly decreased in 2022; Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation that would require employers to provide paid time off following a pregnancy loss; Pfizer and BioNTech’s flu–COVID-19 vaccine generated a strong immune response against strains of the viruses in an early- to mid-stage trial.

Coverage of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine session with Zangmeister Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio.

Half of the surveyed adults reported difficulty affording their health care, and a large proportion said they delayed or avoided care or medication because they couldn’t afford it, often leading to their health problems worsening.

The Biden administration requested $1.55 billion from Congress to help address the nationwide fentanyl crisis; the US Department of Agriculture reported that millions more Americans were food insecure in 2022; the Biden administration released an updated cybersecurity toolkit to help defend the US health care infrastructure against hackers.

Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, Community Oncology Alliance, discusses early returns from the Enhancing Oncology Model and how community oncology practices are innovating in ways that can expand into other areas of medicine.

Senators advocate for TRICARE to stock and cover the OTC birth control pill; double the amount of health care workers experienced workplace harassment in 2022 compared with 2018; a survey found that young adults in the United States experienced depression and anxiety twice as often as teenagers.

Community oncology practices are witnessing a new dynamic in which more Medicare-eligible patients are still covered by commercial insurance, according to speakers at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit, held October 23-24, 2023.

A poster presented at AMCP Nexus 2023 reported that payers believe implementing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will impact Medicare Part D plans financially.

FluMist Quadrivalent could become the first self-administered flu vaccine in the United States; the American Society of Reproductive Medicine updates its definition of infertility to be more inclusive; the Environmental Protection Agency moves to ban the use of a cancer-causing chemical .

At the 2023 COA Payer Exchange Summit being held October 23-24 in Reston, Virginia, Lalan Wilfong, MD, US Oncology Network, emphasizes the importance of oncology care equity, ensuring continuity of care, and enhancing care coordination.

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans pose financial challenges for small rural hospitals; 2 bans proposed in Texas would prohibit transportation for abortion procedures; delays in reauthorizing US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) risk the program’s effectiveness and integrity.

Health equity coverage appearing in the October 2023 issue of Evidence-Based Oncology.

Posters presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 2023 Scientific Congress & Expo highlighted trends in fertility care amid the turbulent landscape following the Dobbs decision.

Study investigators note their meta-analysis may be the first to demonstrate the importance of interventions to support adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer.

A 5-year randomized trial showed that the Million Hearts Model, which paid health care organizations to monitor and reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, was effective in reducing first-time heart attacks and strokes without associated increases in Medicare spending.

Anita Allen, PhD, professor of law and philosophy, University of Pennsylvania, discusses the impact of abortion regulations in different parts of the world on women's reproductive access and rights, as well as the repercussions of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v Wade.