FDA Approvals Surpass 2016
With the 23rd drug approved by the FDA, more drugs have been approved just halfway through 2017 than were approved in all of 2016. According to FiercePharma, the new crop of approved drugs haven’t been without controversy. There was at least one pricing controversy as a decades-old steroid available for $1000 abroad was approved in the United States to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy and received an $89,000 price tag. Plus, a drug approved to treat an ultrarare disease is now one of the most expensive drugs in the world, priced at $702,000.
House Bill Would Cap Malpractice Awards
A bill in the House of Representatives would cap the amount awarded in a malpractice suit for non-economic damages at $250,000. Kaiser Health News reported that the bill is part of a package of reforms to supplement the House’s healthcare bill, the American Health Care Act, which would repeal and replace large parts of the Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration has pledged support, but there is heavy opposition from patient advocates and some conservatives who believe states should determine tort law rules.
Illegal Immigrants Avoid Getting Care
A new article from The New York Times highlights the challenges of delivering care to undocumented immigrants who are afraid to seek care. Since the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigrants, clinics have reported a decrease in the number of appointments with this population. Some providers have gone the extra mile to take care for these patients into their own hands, picking up prescriptions some people are too scared to get on their own and delivering them to patients’ houses.
Dr Kathy Zackowski Discusses the Importance of Rehabilitation Research and Trials in MS
April 26th 2024Kathy Zackowski, PhD, National MS Society, expresses the inherent value of quality rehabilitation trials for broadening clinical understandings of multiple sclerosis (MS) and bettering patient outcomes.
Read More
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Kaiser Permanente was hit by a data breach in mid-April, impacting 13.4 million health plan members; GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) sued Pfizer and BioNTech for allegedly infringing on its messenger RNA technology patents in the companies’ COVID-19 vaccines; the CDC announced the first-known HIV cases transmitted via cosmetic injections.
Read More