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Reference pricing programs can steer patients to lower-price, adequate quality providers, but potential savings to health plans and purchasers are actually modest, according to a study from the National Institute for Health Care Reform.

Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act has been an overall success for insurers in most states that have implemented it; however, the story is different in Kansas, which switched its entire Medicaid program to a private model.

The new BiTE antibody technology developed by the company can simultaneously engage 2 different targets, which can help recruit T-cells to malignant cells, and will be evaluated in ALL patients.

Despite progress being made, health information technology interoperability remains a struggle, according to a report submitted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and HHS to Congress.

The approval follows 2 clinical trials evaluating the regimen in 1720 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Without much fanfare, Massachusetts launched a new era of healthcare shopping last week. Anyone with private health insurance in the state can now go to his or her health insurer's website and find the price of everything from an office visit to an MRI to a Cesarean section. For the first time, healthcare prices are public.

With millions of new Medicaid beneficiaries, Federally Qualified Health Centers may not be able to keep up with the increased demand, even with access to federal funding.

The approval extends the use of bortezomib beyond relapsed and refractory patients.

A study conducted at NYU Langone Medical Center finds that unnecessary radiation in cardiac stress tests costs $500 million a year and causes nearly 500 cases of cancer. Greater use of ultrasound or treadmill tests could save money and improve patient safety; however, earlier studies by The American Journal of Managed Care point out possible barriers to these options.

While still being on the receiving end for the high cost of sofosbuvir, Gilead's combination pill for Hepatitis C (sofosbuvir + ledipasvir) was today approved by the FDA.

For the third year in a row, Medicare Part B monthly premiums and deductibles will remain unchanged at $104.90 and $147, respectively, according to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell.

There are 10 emerging healthcare trends that will impact managed care pharmacy organizations over the next 5 years as the United States healthcare system places more emphasis on affordability, population health, and patient satisfaction and quality of care, according to a new report from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.

The identification of specific RNA molecules in the urine of individuals with prostate cancer raises hope for a non-invasive test for the disease.

Financial results from the first 2 years of the Pioneer ACO Model reveals the gains and losses of the 32 organizations that started the program, and illuminates why just 19 remain.

The majority of low-income adults in 3 states favored Medicaid expansion, but knowledge about their states' plans for the program under the Affordable Care Act was low, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund.

Even though roughly 9 million Americans have gained healthcare coverage, other forces related to the "anemic recovery" will keep healthcare spending under control, at least in the short term, writes Charles Roehrig, PhD, in a commentary published online yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A study of Colorado's own health insurance exchange for individuals identified 11 commonly cited barriers that have prevented eligible individuals from not enrolling in coverage.

Having decided to restrict the distribution of 3 of its top-selling oncology medications, Avastin, Rituxan, and Herceptin only through specialty pharmacies, Genentech is witnessing protests in various forms from healthcare centers.

CMS released financial results from the first 2 years of the Pioneer ACO program. The program is down to 19 accountable care organizations from the original 32 that started the program, and the financial results reveal why those that dropped out did so.

The collaboration between med fusion and GenomOncology promises improved outcomes in personalized cancer trials.

Over the last decade, all 5 national coordinators for health information technology have discussed the importance of connecting healthcare data, but the timing is finally right now, according to Karen B. DeSalvo, MD.

Although people seem to assume Big Data will answer all questions and improve quality of care while increasing efficiencies, the healthcare industry needs to focus on what data is actually actionable, according to John Halamka, MD, chief information officer at Beth Israel Deaconess.

Amid yesterday's good news from the CDC that Americans are living longer than ever was a sobering fact. Rates for the top 10 causes of death all fell from 2011 to 2012, save one: suicide. The death rate increased from 12.3 to 12.6 deaths per 100,000 people.

A Taiwan study found a significantly reduced risk of cancer among RA patients on biologics.

Payroll audits to ensure proper staffing and better tracking of the use of antipsychotic medications are just 2 new items that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) will add to its list of quality measures for nursing homes starting in January, the agency that oversees all Medicare spending announced Monday. The changes are due to passage of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act (IMPACT) which President Obama signed Monday. Some of the changes will bring managed care concepts to the home health sector, where regulations have not been updated in 25 years

Results of a large study performed across cancer centers in Germany, published online October 6, 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, show that 32% of people with cancer experienced some form of clinically relevant mental health challenge, such as anxiety, depressive and adjustment disorders.

Including pharmacy benefits as part of an employer's total health insurance benefit package has clear health benefits and cost savings, according to a study from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Prime Therapeutics, LLC.

Nationwide, Pioneer ACOs saved the government $96 million last year, compared with $87.6 million in 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said last month.

Peter B. Bach, MD, MAPP, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, writes in the Journal of the American Medical Association that cancer drugs could be charged different prices by indication, since the value for patients varies. His article appeared days before an appearance on 60 Minutes to discuss the high price of cancer drugs.

Combining nivolumab, an immuno-oncology molecule, with 1 of 3 targeted agents from Novartis is expected to improve patient response in NSCLC.