FDA May Gain New Regulation Powers
Congress is considering expanding FDA’s regulatory powers to give it oversight over beauty products. According to The Wall Street Journal, the potential to give the FDA the power to regulate these products is a result of litigation, reports of treatments sickening salon workers and customers, and even support from the cosmetics industry itself. There are at least 10 cosmetic makers who back a bipartisan Senate bill that would require the FDA to evaluate at least 5 cosmetic ingredients a year to determine safety.
ACA Health Plan Surcharge Approved
California has approved allowing health plans to combat the uncertainty of the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by enacting a surcharge. Health insurers will have the ability until September 30 to add a 12.4% surcharge to the silver ACA plans, reported the Washington Examiner. The surcharge would be used to offset the possibility that President Donald Trump ends the cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers. Another change in California could have the state pay for some unanticipated losses due to changes in existing federal policies from 2019 to 2021.
Shifting From Value-Based Care Could Cost Taxpayers
CMS recently announced it would end 2 mandatory bundled payment programs and leave these payment reform programs voluntary—a move that could cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Forbes reported that slowing the movement toward value-based care could damage the solvency of Medicare’s Hospital Trust Fund and cause it to run out sooner. For example, the joint replacement payment program was slated to save Medicare $294 million from 2018 to 2020, but making it voluntary means it is now expected to only save $204 million.
Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Thyme Care CEO and Cofounder Robin Shah
October 2nd 2023Robin Shah, CEO of Thyme Care, which he founded in 2020 with Bobby Green, MD, president and chief medical officer, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, to discuss his evolution as an entrepreneur in oncology care innovation and his goal of positively changing how patients experience the cancer system.
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Contributor: More Informed Management of Preeclampsia Is Necessary
November 29th 2023At present, it is difficult for clinicians to identify patients at greatest risk for developing preeclampsia with severe features and tailor treatment plans for them; this difficulty increases costs significantly.
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Insufficient Data, Disparities Plague Lung Cancer Risk Factor Documentation
September 24th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the senior author of a study published in the September 2023 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® on the importance of adequate and effective lung cancer risk factor documentation to determine a patient's eligibility for screening.
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Study Validates Smartphone Analysis for Predicting Obstructive Sleep Apnea
November 29th 2023Findings show breathing sounds recorded by smartphones during sleep at home can reliably identify obstructive sleep apnea, presenting an innovative and accessible alternative to traditional in-laboratory polysomnography.
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