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What We're Reading: Zika Vaccine Ready for Human Trial
What we're reading, June 21, 2016: potential Zika virus vaccine to be tested in humans; California regulator approved the potential merger between Aetna and Humana; and 5 states will be the testing ground for a new Medicare initiative to reduce fraud.
A vaccine to stop the Zika virus is now ready to be tested in humans. The study will include 40 healthy subjects and is designed to assess the safety of the vaccine and the immune response generated by the injection, reported The Washington Post. The vaccine was developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals, of Pennsylvania, and GeneOne Life Sciences, of South Korea.
California’s state insurance commissioner may have come out against the Anthem-Cigna merger, but the state is taking a different stance on Aetna’s proposed acquisition of Humana. According to the Los Angeles Times, the director of the California Department of Managed Health Care is approving the Aetna-Humana merger. Aetna has agreed to give greater state oversight of rates. The Department of Justice still has to approve the merger.
Five states will be the testing grounds for a new Medicare initiative to reduce fraud. The Dallas Morning News reported that home health providers in Texas, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, and Massachusetts will be required to send every claim to be reviewed before Medicare pays. However, some are concerned that the program could put beneficiaries at risk of being discharged if claims are not approve in a timely manner.
Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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Study Links COVID-19 Pandemic to Rise in Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer in US
April 17th 2024There was greater use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy among US patients with ovarian cancer (OC) during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce potential COVID-19 exposure and cancer treatment-related complications.
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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.
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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.
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