Allison Inserro

A UK study found that adding respiratory health screenings to drug clinic appointments for those trying to recover from heroin use was effective at uncovering chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in this group of patients.

How much does vertical integration among hospitals and physician provider organizations help improve care quality and patient satisfaction? According to a recently published study, not that much.

How can the health industry ensure that cutting-edge gene therapies and other curative treatments get to the patients that need them, without leaving payers financially exposed? Representatives of payers and biotechnology companies discussed some of the novel discussions that are taking place as they work through issues of expense and access during “Paying for Cures: Ensuring patient access and system sustainability," a 1-day event in Washington, DC.

The bill signed into law this week in Utah scaling back the successful voter referendum last fall that paved the way for a Medicaid expansion means that fewer people will be covered at potentially higher cost, according to organizations that recently published briefs on the issue.

HHS released 2 long-awaited rules meant to transform how health records and medical claims are delivered and communicated, with one aimed at aggregating electronic health records and claims information into an interoperable mobile format that patients could call up on their devices and another that would require that access to electronic health information come at no cost to the patient and end information blocking.

A survey of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who had contracted community-acquired pneumonia showed that the additional illness caused a significant burden, such as lost time from work, as well as a burden on their caregivers.

Six areas that need improvement emerged from a workshop examining best practices and models to reduce hospital readmissions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund looking at healthcare coverage said the uninsured rate is basically unchanged from before President Trump took office, but that more people, primarily those who have coverage through work, are underinsured. By late fall of 2018, 12.4% of adults were uninsured, down from a high of 20% before the Affordable Care Act became law.

Top Congressional Democrats sent a request to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) asking it to determine if guidance issued by CMS in October 2018 in relation to the Section 1332 waivers states can pursue is subject to legislative oversight. Meanwhile, a report said none of the 8 states that have approval to create a work requirement for their Medicaid expansion pool of beneficiaries have plans to track whether enrollees find jobs or improve their health.

A campaign is underway to ask Congress to implement pieces of previous legislation aimed at improving electronic health records (EHRs) in order to reduce physician burnout and improve patient safety.

Chronic pain accounted for 62.2% of all patient-reported qualifying conditions under which US patients sought medical marijuana, according to a new paper in Health Affairs.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar proposed Thursday to end drug rebates in Medicare Part D and in Medicaid managed care plans and treat them as kickbacks, in a move that could have implications for private plans as well. The rule was announced in the same week as hearings on Capitol Hill about drug pricing, especially the rising cost of insulin.

Stroke-related health risks of giving birth are highlighted in 2 posters that will be presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2019, being held February 6-9, 2019, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that claims costs and federal and state policies largely influenced insurer participation in exchanges during the early years of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

CMS is expanding how Medicare Advantage (MA) can offer supplemental health benefits for the 2020 plan year, it said Thursday as it also announced the rate adjustment for the private plans that participate in the program.

A recent review showed that the long-term use of statins reduced the risk of acute exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease–related mortality and all-cause mortality, as well as decreased inflammatory factors.

Asthma–COPD overlap (ACO) is a term that encompasses patients with characteristics of 2 conditions, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A recent study from Spain sought to validate a proposed algorithm to help clinicians identify ACO among patients with COPD, in an effort to tailor treatment.

Administrator Seema Verma said CMS will focus on “empowering patients, focusing on results, and unleashing innovation” during a speech on the first day of the 2019 CMS Quality Conference, and called states the “laboratories of democracy” when it comes to innovation in Medicaid.

Oncology medications, disease-modifying agents, and immunomodulatory agents will continue to account for most of the pharmacy spending by health systems, said Vizient, which projects a 4.28% increase for pharmaceutical purchases made by organizations between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020.

What do Americans think about Medicare for All or other ways to allow people to have health insurance if coverage does not come through work? This week, the Kaiser Family Foundation released results of a poll about the issue, while a coalition of healthcare industry players released a digital ad arguing against a single-payer option.

Researchers in the United Kingdom used a Markov microsimulation model comparing a population with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) performing physical activity vs a COPD population that was sedentary, in order to estimate the cost-effectiveness of regular PA vs a sedentary lifestyle.

Researchers used a blood test to look for biomarkers indicative of Alzheimer disease in a group of people with a genetic mutation for a familial form of the disease, and they said the test can predict differences about 16 years before affected patients are expected to begin showing symptoms. The hope is that a blood test could one day be used to identify brain disease for not only Alzheimer disease but also other neurodegenerative conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, or stroke.

A recent study examined the nutritional status and dietary intake among outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its possible associations with quality of life.

Researchers investigating the associations between ground-level ozone and fine particulate pollution and emergency department (ED) visits for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and respiratory infections found that as levels rose, more patients land in the ED with breathing problems.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation under CMS expanded its value-based insurance design (VBID) model for Medicare Advantage, as well as created more risk sharing in Part D payment models for plan sponsors. Both plans are voluntary.

CMS is proposing more changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including ways to seek to end the practice of silver loading, end automatic re-enrollment in individual exchange plans, and raise premiums by 1%, it said in its proposed 2020 Payment Notice.

Patients in the most rural areas had an 87% higher chance of receiving an opioid prescription than did patients in large urban areas, according to Thursday's CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

It's time for doctors and healthcare systems to act on climate change, said a pair of articles in The New England Journal of Medicine, before public health consequences become too dire.

Price information about biologics, diabetes, and cancer drugs are among the dozen that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, led by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Maryland, is probing.

An analysis of HHS’ proposed Medicare Part B drug pricing reform effort finds mixed results, and an accompanying editorial urges the department to proceed carefully.