Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, wrote FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, to make clear the intent of the federal “right-to-try” law he authored; the number of opioid prescriptions has fallen by 22% between 2013 and 2017; inadequate record-keeping, policy gaps and limited research are leaving military veterans in limbo and struggling to get care from the Department of Veterans Affairs if their claims for brain injuries are related to the use of weapons in training instead of in combat.
Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, wrote FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, Thursday to make clear the intent of the federal “right-to-try” law he authored, according to STAT. “This law intends to diminish the FDA’s power over people’s lives, not increase it,” he wrote in a letter to Gottlieb following President Trump signing the law this week. Johnson requested a meeting about the implementation of the law. Gottlieb said in an interview with STAT last month that the FDA could still protect patients through the regulatory process; the new law allows patients with life-threatening illnesses to request access to experimental therapies the agency hasn’t approved.
The number of opioid prescriptions has fallen by 22% between 2013 and 2017, according to a report from the American Medical Association. The Hill reported it’s the fifth year in a row that prescriptions have dropped. Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 121% increase in doctors accessing electronic databases that track opioid prescribing. And, as of May, the number of doctors certified to provide buprenorphine rose 42% in the last 12 months.
Inadequate record keeping, policy gaps and limited research are leaving military veterans in limbo and struggling to get care from the Department of Veterans Affairs if their claims for brain injuries are related to the use of weapons in training instead of in combat, The Wall Street Journal reported. The military doesn’t don’t record when or how many rockets are fired in training, leaving veterans without the proof they need of how they were injured.
Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
Listen
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
Listen
Homelessness Compounds Hospital Stay Challenges: Study Reveals Prolonged Discharge Struggles
March 28th 2024In this investigation, outcomes of interest were morbidity rate and length of hospital stay or a traumatic injury among a homeless population, and whether age and/or injury severity had an influence on that relationship—with implications for improving the discharge process for these patients.
Read More
FDA Approves Vadadustat for Anemia in Patients With CKD Undergoing Dialysis
March 28th 2024The FDA approved vadadustat (Vafseo), an oral medication, to treat anemia in adult patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis for at least 3 months. This fills a need for a new treatment option as anemia is common in these patients and can significantly impact their quality of life.
Read More