Week In Review

This week, the top managed care news included the Senate overwhelmingly voting to ban pharmacist gag clauses; a study found the current vaccine pipeline for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria may fall short; an expert noted a trend of healthcare cost data seeping into nonhealthcare companies’ earnings calls.

This week, the top managed care news included medical groups asking CMS to halt or slow down its plans to cut physician reimbursement for evaluation and management services; the Senate weighs a package of bills to combat the opioid epidemic; new research shows the Affordable Care Act pushed the uninsured rate down to 10%.

This week, the top managed care stories included a study on the impact physician burnout is having on care quality; the latest Affordable Care Act showdown took place in a Texas courtroom; the share of employers offering health coverage increased for the first time since 2008.

This week, the top managed care stories included encouraging results from the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization model; concerns that CMS' new billing rules will hurt the sickest patients; a study confirms the value of daily aspirin for patients with diabetes.

This week, the top managed care news included a panel mostly endorsed the use of patient-reported outcomes for coverage of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy; the US Preventive Services Task Force released new recommendations for cervical cancer screening; research found accountable care organization penetration may be changing how physicians work.

This week, the top managed care stories included CMS outlining a plan to encourage Medicare accountable care organizations to take on more risk, faster; a study found substantial growth in Medicaid managed care enrollment; an analysis showed nearly 1 in 5 inpatient hospital stays includes a claim from an out-of-network provider.

This week, the top managed care stories included, CMS allowing step therapy in Medicare Advantage plans in a bid to allow for drug price negotiation; larger practices with more resources, technology and care management processes have higher readmission rates than smaller practices; studies find that empagliflozin also reduces liver fat in patients with diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

This week, the top managed care stories included a report that found quality issues and fraud in Medicare’s hospice program; the Trump administration expanded short-term health plans; cancer screening rates are falling short of targets.

This week, the top managed care stories included CMS reversing its decision to suspend the risk adjustment payment program; out-of-pocket costs and copayment accumulators put an HIV prevention drug out of reach for patients; research finds geography can determine posttreatment imaging for women with breast cancer.

This week, the top managed care stories included additional moves by the Trump administration to unravel the Affordable Care Act; Pfizer canceled a round of drug price increases after speaking to the president; advocates for 340B sound the alarm on efforts to reform the program.