AJMC Staff

What we're reading, July 4, 2016: a hospital is offering free housing to get super-utilizers out of the emergency room; campaigns for patients to gain access to stem cell treatments are gaining momentum; and why hospital/physician integration and consolidation probably won't lower costs.

What we're reading, June 30, 2016: one doctor makes the case for the FDA moving away from a simple approval/no approval system; Massachusetts and Gilead come to an agreement over hepatitis C drug rebates; and Georgia considers Medicaid expansion.

The 17-member panel will hold 5 public meetings to review evidence before issuing its report. The last set of guidelines was published in 2008.

The citation from the World Economic Forum allows the digital behavioral health company to participate in the annual meeting of new champions.Some will also participate in the annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

What we're reading, June 29, 2016: CMS is considering changes to the proposed Medicare Part B demonstration; Senate Democrats block the GOP's Zika funding bill; and a Bloomberg analysis shines light on the pricing practices of the pharmaceutical industry.

What we're reading, June 28, 2016: Illinois approves Aetna-Humana merger; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care reaches value-based payment agreements with Novartis and Eli Lilly; and the Supreme Court struck down key aspects of the Texas abortion law.

What we're reading, June 27, 2016: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is leaving the individual market; out-of-pocket costs for hospital visits grew 37% in 5 years; and a growing number of millennials are becoming caregivers for loved ones.

What we're reading, June 24, 2016: Britain's decision to leave the European Union will impact drug regulation; Supreme Court decision derails California proposal to allow illegal immigrants to buy health insurance; and lawmakers look to reduce exclusivity period for biologics.

What we're reading, June 23, 2016: Medicare's fund will be insolvent 2 years earlier than estimated last year; nearly 1 in 3 Medicare beneficiaries received an opioid prescription in 2015; House Republicans' health plan calls for greater use of value-based insurance design; and the Democrats urge the Department of Justice to block Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana mergers.

A new analysis by the Dartmouth Institute has found that Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) are making modest yet increasing gains when treating patients with comorbidities.

What we're reading, June 22, 2016: Obama administration targets young individuals for Affordable Care Act enrollment; Boeing is directly contracting with a major California health system to provide employee benefits; growing interest in the use of value-based insurance design.

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.

What we're reading, June 20, 2016: employers are cutting back on wellness benefits; new apps and websites provide birth control prescriptions to women; and Novartis pledges to triple the number of biosimilar drugs on the market by 2020.

What we're reading, June 17, 2016: California's insurance commissioner comes out in opposition of the merger between Anthem and Cigna; local governments push for drug makers to pay for drug take-back programs; and the CDC releases numbers of Zika-related birth defects in the United States.

What we're reading, June 16, 2016: the federal government is encouraging state Medicaid programs to promote long-acting contraceptives; Congress introduces a bill the prevent drug makers from thwarting generic competition; and new recommendation that people can choose the type of colon cancer screening they receive.

What we're reading, June 15, 2016: opioids also linked to heart-related deaths and fatalities other than overdoses; judge overrules Federal Trade Commission's efforts to block merger of Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem in Illinois; and using social media to monitor patients outside of the healthcare setting.

What we're reading, June 14, 2016: CMS has proposed requiring Medicare hospitals follow new antibiotic controls; New York poised to expand access to breast cancer screening; and clinical trials are seeing more success.

What we're reading, June 13, 2016: the World Health Organization is recommending women in Zika-infected areas delay pregnancy; one FDA regulator feels too many drug makers are chasing the same treatments in cancer care; and risky behaviors among American teenagers are down.

What we're reading, June 10, 2016: Carolinas HealthCare System faces antitrust lawsuit; Alaska looks to bail out its Obamacare marketplace; and Pfizer increases drug prices in the US for the second time this year.

Results presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress have confirmed that Systemic Lupus Erythematosus can increase the risk of developing cervical cancer in women.

What we're reading, June 9, 2016: Philadelphia is poised to become the first major city to pass a soda tax; California raises its smoking age to 21; and the Obama administration looks to limit short-term health plans.

What we're reading, June 8, 2016: obesity rate among women reaches record high; abuse-resistant opioid recommended for approval by advisory panel; and Gilead does not owe Merck money in drug-patent dispute.

What we're reading, June 7, 2016: opioid restrictions disproportionately affect older patients with chronic pain; Genentech and OSI Pharmaceuticals settle Tarceva lawsuit; and trouble raising Zika virus funds.

What we're reading, June 6, 2016: Vice President Joe Biden will announce the launch of an open-access cancer research database, and a new bill in Congress would allow companies to repurpose existing drugs for rare diseases.

What we're reading, June 3, 2016: Florida's crackdown on opioid prescriptions is working; some California physicians are uneasy about prescribing lethal doses to terminally ill patients; and Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, shines a spotlight on the real culprit of preventable medical errors.

What we're reading, June 2, 2016: Medicaid can cover mosquito repellent to prevent the spread of the Zika virus; Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, discusses New Orleans post-Katrina, life expectancy, and more; and teen births hit an all-time low.

What we're reading, June 1, 2016: for the first time in a decade, the death rate in the United States has risen; UnitedHealth confirms it will leave the California insurance exchange in 2017; and just 6% of Americans do the 5 things they need to prevent disease.

What we're reading, May 31, 2016: a federal judge ordered the Washington state Medicaid program to remove restrictions on hepatitis C virus medications; the trouble when drug prices are too low; and the World Health Organization will not consider postponing the Summer Olympics due to the Zika virus.

What we're reading, May 27, 2016: treatment for pregnant women is often based on guesswork since few drugs are ever tested on them; a new superbug in the US is resistant to even the antibiotic of last resort; and how small physician practices can adapt to new payment models.

What we're reading, May 26, 2016: South Carolina passes a 20-week abortion ban, while Georgia's own law faces a new challenge; the FDA delays its decision on a controversial drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and report highlights how Cover Oregon was mishandled.