AJMC Staff

What we're reading, March 18, 2016: Covered California is considered removing hospitals with poor performance from the exchange; an outbreak in Wisconsin spreads to Michigan; #ZikaVirus infection in the US climbs to 450.

What we're reading, March 17, 2016: doctors who receive more industry money prescribe more brand name drugs; researchers project risk of Zika virus transmission in the US; and use of generic Gleevec could save $100,000 per patient.

What we're reading, March 16, 2016: there is a big divide between the rural and urban health; exercise is rarely prescribed for chronic conditions; and NFL executive acknowledges link between football and degenerative brain disease.

Idelalisib has presented serious adverse events in combination trials in both the US and Europe.

What we're reading, March 15, 2016: Bernie Sanders proposes a prize fund to spur drug development for HIV/AIDS; one news outlet is going to court to unseal documents related to OxyContin's marketing; and report highlights the emotional trauma healthcare providers face after making a serious medical error.

What we're reading, March 14, 2016: hospitals implement new ways to combat skyrocketing drug prices; some Affordable Care Act's health insurance co-ops could see profits in 2016; and patient anxiety decreases when hospitalists show more empathy.

Researchers noted the link but could not explain the cause and effect.

What we're reading: California's assisted suicide law will take effect June 9; a majority of drugs in Medicare Part D require coinsurance; and Senate passes opioid abuse bill 94-1.

What we're reading, March 10, 2016: spending on drug advertisements up 60% over 4 years; lawsuit between Gilead and Merck over hepatitis C virus drugs; and Tennessee considers allowing pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives.

The study found that being out of shape aerobically and having poor muscle strength made a young man 3 times more likely to develop diabetes as he got older.

What we're reading, March 9, 2016: prescription drugs accounted for 16.7% of US healthcare spending in 2015; the FDA will allow Amarin to promote a prescription fish oil for off-label uses; and racial disparities for infant mortality persist.

21st Century Oncology has informed patients that their patient database was compromised late last year.

What we're reading, March 8, 2016: rate of unplanned pregnancies in the US is at a 30-year low; doctors told they are overprescribing addictive medicines don't change their behavior; and despite Obamacare, surprise medical bills find a way.

What we're reading, March 7, 2016: urgent care is being used as a bridge between the primary care doctor's office and the emergency room; a task force calls for physicians to employ team-based care; and the government will meet to craft a plan for the Zika virus.

What we're reading, March 4, 2016: Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, 20 million people have signed up for healthcare coverage; the FDA has a backlog of 4000 drug applications waiting for approval; and Flint, Michigan, receives expanded Medicaid coverage.

The study is the most recent to suggest that obesity leads to alterations in brain function in the area that regulates memory.

What we're reading, March 3, 2016: additional funding for the opioid abuse bill was shot down in the Senate; Donald Trump releases his plan to replace Obamacare; and Christine Cassel, MD, discusses designing a new medical school.

What we're reading, March 2, 2016: FDA commissioner pledges stronger efforts to develop harder-to-abuse painkillers; Olympus Corp. agrees to largest settlement for violating anti-kickback laws; and the Supreme Court hears Texas abortion case with just 8 members on the bench.

What we're reading, March 1, 2016: physicians greet Merck's new hepatitis C drug with caution; 20% of Puerto Ricans could be infected with the Zika virus in 2016; and nearly $3 billion wasted in cancer medicines.

As the health insurance markets continue to evolve, CMS today released the final rule to set standards for plans and the health insurance marketplaces.

What we're reading, February 29, 2016: hospital readmission declines tied to Obamacare program; Medicare negotiating powers may not have a large impact; and Aetna is on board with Affordable Care Act exchanges again.

Mann spent $1 billion of his own money to bring Afrezza to market. The Los Angeles Times reported he died in Las Vegas.

What we're reading, February 26, 2016: drug makers are facing pressure to calculate the cost of extending a patient's life; a look at how addiction is viewed and treated in the US; and staving off the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants injured his hand in a fireworks accident July 4, 2015, and ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted a photo of his injured hand on July 8.

What we're reading, February 25, 2016: the government will require proof of eligibility for enrollment in special sign-up periods under the Affordable Care Act (ACA); this year's flu vaccine is more effective; and 6 states are suing the Obama administration over an ACA fee.

What we're reading: drug makers are not reporting complete information about side effects; Johnson & Johnson will pay $72 million to the family of a woman who blamed her ovarian cancer on talcum powder; and Maine and Utah make new attempts at expanding Medicaid.

What we're reading, February 23, 2016: drug spending for CVS health plans slowed from 11.8% to 5%; CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, talks Zika virus; and an investigation into the HealthCare.gov launch found widespread mismanagement.

The American Journal of Managed Care's co-editor-in-chief A. Mark Fendrick, MD, director of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID), is testifying on how the principles of VBID and clinical nuance can contribute to healthcare reform in the US military health system.

What we're reading, February 22, 2016: new legislation proposes placing a 3-year moratorium on advertising newly approved drugs; the prevalence and incidence of stroke among young adults has increased significantly; and more women with breast cancer are choosing outpatient mastectomies.

What we're reading, February 19, 2016: long-term hospice care is weighing on Medicare; both the pope and the World Health Organization suggest women in Zika infected countries have access to contraception; and Texas health official steps down after co-authoring study on Planned Parenthood.